After years of trying to dredge the East Pass, the Army Corps of Engineers – in partnership with the City of Destin and Okaloosa County – is beginning the dredging operations on the navigational channel under a joint FDEP Permit issued to the City and County.
The project is expected to take approximately 30 days dependent on the weather and the final amount of material to be removed.
The process to get to this point has involved multiple agencies, overcoming weather, funding, and litigation issues, and a final push by Congressman Gaetz’s office to prioritize the East Pass dredging project.
Funding for the project will come from federal funds for the first $1,500,000 and thereafter local from tourism bed tax dollars for another $500,000 or more depending on the final dredging costs. The project is expected to take approximately 30 days dependent on the weather and the final amount of material to be removed.
The dredging is set to remove approximately 250,000 cubic yards+/- of sand from the federal navigation channel.
Per the inlet management plan material is required to be placed on the adjacent eroding beach as determined by an engineering analysis.