Panama City Beach – Best Panama City Beach Condo Rental at Celadon Beach Resort www.bestpanamacitybeachcondo.com thanks visitpanamacitybeach.org for the following update!
The third renourishment of the Panama City Beaches is under construction during the fall and winter of 2011, with a planned completion in late 2011/early 2012.
This is a very important project for maintaining the health of our beaches! The
following questions and answers provide many of the details of the project. See
construction
schedule for more information. **Information will evolve as the project
progresses. The information will be periodically updated; check back regularly.**
Answers
to Common Questions:
Q:
Where is this project taking place?
The
repair renourishment project is taking place on the west and east ends of the
Panama City Beaches. The west end project area begins at the Ramsgate Harbour
Condos (adjacent to Carillon Beach) and runs eastward approximately 5.0 miles
to Seagull Villas (just east of Splash Resort). The east end project area
begins at St. Andrews State Park (not including the Park) and runs westward
approximately 2.0 miles to Sterling Beach Condos.
The
Pinnacle Port and Carillon Beach project area is within these communities on
the far west end of the beach, adjacent to the Walton County line.
The
project does not include the central project area because this area has been
relatively stable. It was nourished after the 2005 storms as part of the
2005/2006 project and/or recovered its 2005 storm volume losses.
Q:
What about the Pinnacle Port/Carillon Beach addition?
The
Pinnacle Port and Carillon Beach addition to the project was bid as an option
and is now part of the construction of the repair project. The necessary legal
agreement and public access easements, which were required for the project to
move forward, have been executed.
Q:
How much sand is being placed as part of this project? How does this compare to
the 1998/1999 and 2005/2006 projects?
*Approximately
600,000 cubic yards of sand will be placed within the west end project area and
approximately 175,000 cubic yards of sand will be placed within the east end
project area.
*Approximately
375,000 to 400,000 cubic yards of sand will be placed within the Pinnacle Port
and Carillon Beach project area.
*The
initial restoration of the Panama City Beaches in 1998-1999 placed
approximately 9.8 million cubic yards of sand along the beaches. The 2005-2006
project placed approximately 3.3 million cubic yards of sand along the beaches.
The current project is a much smaller project in comparison to the previous
projects, and it does not encompass the entire shoreline like the last two
projects.
Q:
How much is this project costing? And who is paying for it?
The
construction cost for the repair project is $9.8 million and is entirely
federally-funded; there are no local or state matching dollars required.
Because this is an authorized and previously built federal shore protection
project, the project team secured Federal Flood Control and Coastal Emergencies
funds for this project to replace the sand losses due to the 2005 storms.
Q:
How long will this project take to construct?
The
project is expected to take approximately 3 months, however construction may
move faster or slower. There may also be circumstances that cause lengthy
delays due to construction shutdown, like weather conditions or major repairs
to equipment.
Q:
What is the project schedule?
The
order of the work is the west end project area, followed by Pinnacle Port and
Carillon Beach project area, and finally the East end project area. Please see Construction
Schedule, for further details.
Q:
Who is managing this project? And who is the dredging contractor?
This
is a federally-funded project. The US Army Corps of Engineers is managing the
construction of the project. The Bay County TDC, on behalf of Bay County,
serves as the local sponsor for the project and stays in constant communication
and coordination with the US Army Corps of Engineers. Great Lakes Dredge &
Dock Company is the dredging contractor. They also constructed the 1998-1999
beach nourishment project.
Q:
Where is the sand coming from that is being placed on the beach?
The
sand for large-scale beach nourishment projects such as this come from our
permitted, offshore “borrow areas.” These borrow areas are located
approximately 3.5 miles offshore of the Thomas Drive area.
Q:
How does the sand get to the beach?
The
sand is dredged from the offshore borrow areas into a hopper dredge. The hopper
dredge motors from the borrow area closer to the project site and hooks up to a
submerged pipeline. The submerged pipeline runs from just off the beach up onto
the beach and connects to shore pipeline, which runs laterally along the dry
beach. The sand is discharged as a water/sand slurry mixture through the
pipeline, and bulldozers reshape the sand to meet the designed construction
template.
Q:
What about the oil spill last year? Is the sand being placed on the beach free
from oil?
The
US Army Corps of Engineers performed testing of the borrow areas being used for
this project and found no evidence of oil. The sand being placed on the beach
is free from contamination from the oil spill. In addition, there is a Quality
Assurance/Quality Control plan in place that will immediately address any sand
quality issues that may arise.
Q:
Why does the sand coming out of the pipe look darker than the sand on the
beach?
The
sand coming out of the pipe is a water/sand mix, and it often contains darker,
fine material that wash out as the sand is reshaped on the beach by the
bulldozers and dries out over time. This is not oil contamination. Again, there
is a Quality Assurance/Quality Control plan in place that will immediately
address any sand quality issues that may arise
Q:
How fast does the project move down the beach? How long will it be in front of
my property?
Construction
should progress at a rate of 500 feet to 1,500 feet per day. Barring any
temporary work stoppages, this means the active construction area may only be
in front of your property for a couple days. Please be patient. Everyone,
including the contractor, US Army Corps of Engineers, and the Bay County TDC
wants the project to continue moving down the beach and closer to completion.
Q:
How do I access the beach when construction is occurring in front of my
property? How do I get over the dredge pipe?
The
active work/construction area is limited to an approximate 1,000-2,000-foot
section of beach. Simply walk laterally along the beach until you get around
the active work area, locate a sand bridge that goes over the dredge pipe, and
you will be able to access the Gulf.
The
contractor will build sand bridges over the dredge pipe, which is strung
laterally along the shoreline, so that pedestrians may have access to the Gulf.
Q:
What are the work hours for construction?
Unless
the work temporarily ceases for repair or weather, work will continue 24 hours
a day. These are extremely expensive projects, and it is not feasible to halt
work overnight or on weekends.
Q:
Why is this project important?
The
beaches of Panama City Beach that you see today are actually the result of two
previous nourishment projects – one completed in 1998/1999 and the other in
2005/2006. Hurricane Opal (1995) caused significant erosion of the beaches and
left very little dry beach along much of the Panama City Beaches. To combat
this erosion, as well as erosion from storms since then, nourishment projects
have been undertaken. These projects not only provide recreational beach width
for the benefit of residents and visitors, but during storm events, the sand
also provides critical protection of structures and infrastructure landward of
the beach. Because of the 1998/1999 project, there was very little damage to
upland development when Hurricane Ivan struck in 2004. This beach nourishment
management program is much like a roadway or other such infrastructure – once
it is built, it must be maintained. The work you see ongoing now is a small
maintenance project that will help ensure continued use of a sandy beach and
storm protection for the upland.
Q:
What about sea turtle nesting?
The
sea turtle nesting season has drawn to a close at this point. The nests that
remain on the beach will hatch before construction activities are scheduled to
reach them.
Construction
Schedule
