The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Jacksonville District, and Flagler County have now finalized a project partnership agreement for construction of the Flagler County Coastal Storm Risk Management Project in Flagler Beach, Fla.
As USACE reported, this project is expected to reduce annual storm damage costs, protect the areas major hurricane evacuation route, and provide critical habitat for threatened and endangered species.
The Project Partnership Agreement (PPA), signed on July 23rd at the Flagler County Commission Chambers, is the next step towards construction of the project.
The initial nourishment portion of the project includes improvements to the existing beach and dune, along with the addition of approximately 500,000 cubic yards of sand to 2.6 miles of shoreline in Flagler Beach.
The agreement calls for four renourishments during the 50-year life of the project, adding an additional 320,000 cubic yards of sand approximately once every 11 years. Material for the project will come from a borrow area located about 10 miles offshore in federal waters.
The project is designed to reduce annual storm damage costs by 95% over the 50-year period and produce more than $1.1 million in annual benefits.
The project also provides more than 3.15 acres of habitat for Leatherback, Green, and Loggerhead turtles, as well as Piping Plover shorebirds. Wildlife habitat without the project could be severely jeopardized.
The cost-share for the $17,494,000 projected initial construction costs is approximately 65 percent federal and 35 percent non-federal. Periodic nourishments costs of $81,304,000 will be cost-shared at 50% federal and 50% non-federal.
Award of the construction contract is currently scheduled for Spring 2020, with construction starting shortly thereafter and lasting about 6 months.