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COUNTY CONSULTANTS ESTIMATES 24,725 CORALS WILL BE KILLED WITH THE
BURIAL OF 13.6 ACRES OF NEARSHORE HARDBOTTOM
The revised Broward County Dredge and Fill project proposes to pump 2,475,000
cubic yards of sand on 11.8 miles of shoreline, which will result in the
burial of 13.6 acres of hardbottom and coral. The material placed on the
beach will not stay on the beach it will migrate off shore within a year
of its placement; 13.6 acres of juvenile fish habitat will be buried.
It is in these areas that the county consultants estimate that 24,725
coral will be killed. This number only estimates the number of corals
that will be buried; it does not address the secondary impacts to corals
adjacent to the fill areas. These reefs are impacted by long-term turbidity.
Only a portion of the fill material is course sand, some of the material
is fine silt and clay. These silts and clays are continually re-suspended
by wave action and lead to long term silting of adjacent reefs.
Dredge Pits
Many more acres of reef will be impacted around the 5 dredge sites. These
reefs will be affected by large dredges, which use water to pump the sand,
this water is returned to the ocean carrying with it many fine partials
and silt, which smother adjacent reefs. Two of these dredge sites are
very nearshore off the cities of Deerfield and Hillsboro Beach. Stealing
over 3 million cubic yards of sand from these nearshore excavation pits
will increase the rate of erosion on adjacent beaches insuring more work
for the contractors and paid consultants.
Sea Turtles
The acres of hardbottoms that will be buried adjacent to beaches are
foraging grounds for endangered sea turtles. 2/3 of similar nearshore
habitats have been buried by past dredge and fill projects. But the state
said it's ok because they will mitigate…For more information http:www.cryofthewater.org
or contact Cry of the Water at e-mail:reefteam2@yahoo.com (954) 753-9737
Mitigation
To compensate for all this destruction the county will mitigate by placing
148,000,000 pounds of limestone boulders over 13.6 acres of sand covered
nearshore hardbottom. They will then transplant 1000-2000 corals onto
these rocks in the hopes of creating man-made reefs. These projects have
been highly unsuccessful in the past. Reports given at the recent U.S.
Coral Reef Task Force meeting, stated that most past mitigation projects
have not been effective, see US Task Force web site at http://coralreef.gov/
It is ludicrous to believe that the engineers can build man-made reefs
that are adequate substitutes for these natural habitats. Past engineering
project to widen Broward's beaches have only resulted in accelerated erosion
rates. Due in part to the destruction and loss of the natural nearshore
reefs that once helped to protect these beaches.
No Dredging in Segment II (Ft. Lauderdale)
Broward's beaches that have not been dredge and filled have some of the
lowest erosions rates in the county. The engineers should not be trying
to fix what is not broken or in this case break what is not broken. The
segment II part of this project proposes to dredge and fill beaches that
have not been impacted by past projects. Just off these beaches are the
best nearshore reefs left in the continental United States. These reefs
continue to work as natural protection and to destroy them will ultimately
lead to accelerated erosion.
We would like to thank those of you who have written letters and came
to the public meetings. Your efforts have made a difference. The original
project was going to bury 38 acres of nearshore fish habitat and corals.
This project fails to utilize alternatives such as sand bypass at Port
Everglades and vegetation that would create dunes helping to stabilize
our beaches. Rather than re-thinking projects to avoid coral reef ecosystem
degradation, as required by Executive Order 13089, it appears the State
DEP, the Army Corps of Engineers and other agencies want to continue doing
business as usual and have seized on mitigation as being an extra cost
of carrying out a project.
We Need your Letters Once Again
Once again we are asking you to write letters telling the governor and
the agencies that the destruction of tens of thousands of corals and over
ten acres of unique essential fish habitat and sea turtle foraging grounds
IS NOT ACCEPTABLE. If you have seen impacts from past projects or are
currently seeing the massive turbidity plums from the current Hillsboro
inlet dredging project it is important that you include these things in
your letters. Below will find information where you can voice your concerns.
The Broward County Beach Dredge Project is scheduled to go before the
Governor and Cabinet as they serve as the Board of Trustees of the Internal
Improvement Trust Fund on January 28, 2003 for approval of the use of
our State submerged lands.
Cabinet Aides meeting on January 22.
Ask Governor Jeb Bush to deny the application at this time.
Governor Jeb Bush, 210 The Capitol, Tallahassee, FL 32399 FAX 850-488-9578;
flgov@myflorida.com
cabinet staff: Colleen Castille FAX 850-488-5152 castilc@eog.state.fl.us
Stephanie Culp FAX 850-488-5152 culps@eog.state.fl.us
Sherry Slattery FAX 850-488-5152 slattes@eog.state.fl.us
Attorney General Charlie Crist, PL01 The Capitol, Tallahassee, FL
32399 FAX 850-487-2564 ag@oag.state.fl.us
cabinet staff: Kent Perez FAX 850487-1963 kent_perez@oag.state.fl.us
Diana Sawaya-Crane FAX 850-487-1963 diana_sawaya-crane@oag.state.fl.us
Diane Moulton FAX 850-245-0184 diane_moulton@oag.state.fl.us
Insurance Commissioner Tom Gallagher, LL27 The Capitol, Tallahassee,
FL 32399 FAX 850-488-7265 gallaghert@doi.state.fl.us
cabinet staff: Kevin Stanfield FAX 954-413-2828 stanfieldk@doi.state.fl.us
Agriculture Commissioner Charles H. Bronson, LL28 The Capitol, Tallahassee,
FL 32399 FAX 850-414-9778 meltonc@doacs.state.fl.us
cabinet staff: Michele Myers FAX 850-410-6747 myersm@doacs.state.fl.us
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