The Chief of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Lt. Gen. Thomas P. Bostick, has signed the Chief’s Report for the Flagler County, Fla., Hurricane and Storm Damage Reduction Project.
The report outlines the national benefits of the project, including reduced risk of storm damage to coastal infrastructure and improvements to eroding beach conditions. With the signing of the report Dec. 23, the Corps is certifying that the beach and dune project is environmentally sound and economically beneficial to the nation.
The Chief’s Report will now go to the Assistant Secretary of the Army (Civil Works), and then to the Office of Management and Budget for review. After these reviews, the report goes to Congress for future authorization.
The Flagler County study examined opportunities to reduce risk of coastal damages and improve eroded conditions on approximately 9.7 miles of Flagler County coastline. Beach and dune erosion, both long-term and storm-induced, is the greatest problem in the Flagler County area.
Due to unique beach sediments and the closeness of State Road A1A and existing coastal development, the county’s dune system is experiencing long-term erosion with little opportunity for natural recovery. This erosion is threatening State Road A1A, an essential hurricane evacuation route for communities along the coastline, and a necessary component of post storm emergency response and recovery.
The Corps’ plan consists of a 10-foot seaward extension of the existing dune along 2.6 miles between 7th to 28th streets in central Flagler Beach. Construction of the dune will extend the existing berm and the entire active profile seaward.
Sand placement is anticipated once every 11 years to repair eroded areas over the 50-year lifecycle of the project.
Press Release