Posted on August 26, 2020
VENICE — Snake Island, a popular recreation point at the intersection of the Intracoastal Waterway and Venice Inlet, will be off-limits for at least two months beginning Sept. 15.
Workers will be doing some dredging in the vicinity, and will add sand to the constantly eroding island.
The Lyons Bay channel dredging project north of the island, requested by Sarasota County and managed by the West Coast Inland Navigation District, involves removing sand deepen the channel at low tide.
Snake Island, a few hundred yards to the south, was deemed the spot to relocate the sand.
“The work will close it in a bit and save some of the sand” from washing away, said Justin McBride, the executive director of the West Coast Inland Navigation District.
The budget for Lyons Bay dredging is about $311,000, plus $70,000 to increase the rock revetment by 25 feet on both ends of Snake Island’s beach.
Roughly 7,000 cubic yards of material will be removed from the channel and deposited on the northwestern face of the island, along with 600 tons of rock.
Construction is anticipated to last 75 days. It could be finished in as little as 60 days if the weather cooperates, McBride said. Surveying and stakeout will occur during the first week in September.
Officials are asking the public by staying away during the operation. The Florida Wildlife Commission, Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office and Venice Police Department are lending a hand to make sure people don’t trespass during the work, which can be dangerous, McBride said.
The island will be closed 24/7; violators will be cited, he noted.
Lyons Bay is legally protected from degradation by its status as an Outstanding Florida Water. Manatees occupy the bay on a regular basis.
Snake Island is a popular boating spot throughout the year. People who frequent the area are known as the Snake Island Republic.
The island was much bigger in the 1960s and ‘70s, but has eroded over the years to a fraction of its former size. It was last improved six years ago. McBride said he’s hopeful the new improvements will last, perhaps as much as a decade.
Source: yoursun
