Collier County will close Clam Pass Park and the public beach south of Clam Pass on April 20th and 21st, so that workers from Energy Resources may perform some work for the emergency dredging project in the Clam Bay Natural Resource Protection Area.
The closing is necessary for safety reasons, as there will be intensive construction traffic up and down that portion of the beach, the County said in its press release.
In March, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers gave Collier County a 10-year permit that will allow the County to perform maintenance dredging in the Clam Bay Natural Resource Protection Area.
The permit allows the county to remove sand from Clam Pass and associated flood shoal areas in three sections to restore tidal flow to the estuary. It is anticipated about 19,000 cubic yards of sand would be removed from Clam Pass and the flood shoal areas.
Recent record rainfall in Southwest Florida and the slow narrowing of Clam Pass has put the mangrove forests in Clam Bay at risk.
Following the issuance of the Corps permit, the Board of Collier County Commissioners on March 22 declared that emergency conditions existed in the Clam Bay Natural Resource Protection Area and ratified staff’s actions to quickly mobilize a dredging firm to prevent a widespread mangrove die-off.
While the park will be closed Wednesday and Thursday, work will continue on the dredging project after the closure.
The project should be completed by the time sea turtle nesting season begins May 1.
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