LBTS work on the beach?

[Trigger-F]

Just noticed today on the Windjammer camera some work being done on the beach. Are they replenishing the sand? I also dove a few days ago and it seems there's a lot of silt on the reef lately. Is it because of that? I thought the Lake Okeechobee discharge was enough to ruin vis and further affect the reefs, so I sure hope this is not a beach renourishment/replenishment or whatever it's called project.

---------- Post added January 5th, 2016 at 12:47 PM ----------

That's what it is.. wow.. not good (at least for the reef).

Beach Renourishment

 

[iamrushman]

this seems like overkill...if i remember correctly they just did the beach less than a year ago...don't they realize that sand is transient??

 

[Trigger-F]

They did the same on Holmes Beach / Anna Maria Isl roughly 2 yrs ago and a little patch reef called Spanish Rocks, has been buried in silt ever since(may take years to clear). Though vis is usually low on this side. At any rate, this is not good for the coral.

Huge beach restoration project coming to Broward - Sun Sentinel

In a detailed biological review, the National Marine Fisheries Service said the project, known as Segment 2, will bury up to 4.9 acres of coral reef and destroy habitat for young green sea turtles.


The sand will come from mines along the spine of Florida, where the buried remains of ancient beaches hold sand deposited during an era of higher sea levels.

The fisheries service said 16 colonies of threatened elkhorn and staghorn coral will be transplanted and three of the staghorn colonies may die in the process. But overall, with the creation of the artificial reef, it said the project will not reduce habitat for threatened species of coral.

 

[Scuba_Jenny]

The beach renourishment probably should more accurately be called the death of our nearshore reefs. Sad on so many levels.
Hollywood did it 10 years and the nearshore reef is just now starting to recover. The bleaching event from last summer though has managed to kill off a bunch of corals. Our oceans are under attack.

 

[kelemvor]

Oh that's just a pity right there. It's a shame to hear a town that was so scuba friendly has put an end to it. I'll miss diving LBTS.

 

[Scuba_Jenny]

The condos and tourism industry won.
There will be a lot less turtle nests this year in that area. Takes a couple years for them to accept the different sand

when posting from a phone, auto correct makes the conversation more interesting

 

[seeker242]

Great Lakes Dock and Dredge Company, based in Oak Brook, Illinois, was the prime contractor for the project.

Oh that's nice. The same company that buried the reef at Port of Miami...

 

[Trigger-F]

The condos and tourism industry won.
There will be a lot less turtle nests this year in that area. Takes a couple years for them to accept the different sand

when posting from a phone, auto correct makes the conversation more interesting

The drop off reef line should make it relatively unscathed because there's a slight current at times or surge. It's the patch reefs that start 150 yards from the beach that will possibly be affected. I just hope the die off is limited. Plus the turtle nests as mentioned. And i did see quite a few stony corals dead or partially dead last week at the Drop off in Pompano. Definitely the reef is stressed out but recovering..

They are even planning to move some acropora colonies elsewhere at an artificial site. (???) Who comes up with these ideas or approves of such plans?

Probably people who don't dive..

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[iamrushman]

and the sand continues...dump truck after dump truck of non local transit sand continues to to be dropped off at south LBTS....

 

[iamrushman]

and the sand continues...dump truck after dump truck of non local sand continues to to be dropped off at south LBTS....and it keeps coming after my last post a week ago on Jan. 13th 2016