EVOLVE NEWS
Daytona Beach Commission
BRIEFED ON COASTAL PROJECTS
Coastal renourishment projects are important to Volusia County residents, especially those who live on the coast. At a recent Daytona Beach City Commission meeting, Volusia County Council Vice Chair Matt Reinhart offered leaders and residents of the beachside community reasons to be optimistic about the future of the beach.
“ These are special projects and initiatives that reflect our commitment to the county and Daytona Beach, working together for recovery, infrastructure, economic growth and quality of life,” Reinhart said.
The first project Reinhart highlighted was the North Sand Replacement Project, which began in June at Sunglow Pier and is working its way south. The project is moving an average of 1,000 linear feet of dune construction every week.
“ More than 1.6 miles of sand have been replaced,” Reinhart said.
Reinhart said Volusia beaches were“ hit drastically” by recent storms and as a result, the Army Corps of Engineers gave the county permission to dredge material and pump it in an area in Ponce Inlet for the renourishment project. A second effort, the dredging of
Rattlesnake Island, will accommodate the New Smyrna Beach area, he said.
“ We still have just around half of it left so we’ re going to do a third dredging project,” Reinhart said.“ The project is critical because our dunes are the first line of defense to coastal erosion. Not only protecting homes, businesses and infrastructure along the shore, but also preserving the beach that drives our local economy and quality of life while restoring critical nesting habitat.”
Reinhart said sand placement“ is just one piece of the puzzle,” and future coastal resiliency projects will include public meetings that will be announced soon.
“ Earlier this year we launched a survey( and) we received more than 12,000 responses,” he said.“ Community involvement is important and that is an incredible level of engagement.”
Reinhart also spoke about flood mitigation and infrastructure projects through the federally funded Transform 386 initiative.
“ In July the County Council approved a series of infrastructure projects designed to reduce flood risk, modernize utilities and strengthen our resilience,” he said.“ We’ re also replacing aging wastewater infrastructure.”
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