The Broward County Beach Management Program

ABSTRACT

Broward County’s beaches are in a state of chronic erosion. The State of Florida has estimated that 21 of the 24 miles of Broward’s beaches are critically eroded, and in some areas there is little beach left at high tide. To combat this situation, Broward County has been engaged in shore protection and beach nourishment efforts since the early 1960's. These projects, funded by the Federal, State, and local governments, have performed as designed, in most cases exceeding their design life of 10 to 12 years.

The current Broward County Beach Management Program is a comprehensive plan to replace beach sand where it is needed, to stabilize with structures the most erosive stretch of beach, and, by means of inlet sand bypassing, to “feed” those beaches which are sand-starved because of the presence of stabilized inlets. The program has three elements: First, place beach fill on all of the County’s eroding beaches in one project, thereby achieving an economy of scale in terms of cost, environmental impacts, and engineering effectiveness. Preliminary estimates call for about 3 to 4 million cubic yards of sand on 12 to 14 miles of beach. Second, the County proposes to construct erosion control structures, possibly highly- engineered T-head groins, along the John U. Lloyd Beach State Recreation Area, located just south (downdrift) of Port Everglades. Third, the County would like to implement sand bypassing at Port Everglades Inlet, if feasible. Restoring the historical southward migration of sand, in combination with the other elements of the program, will reduce the extent and frequency of beach nourishment projects and provide a nearly sustainable beach many miles downstream, especially in the Broward communities of Dania, Hollywood, and Hallandale.

INTRODUCTION

Broward County’s urbanized, resort-quality beaches are in trouble. The State of Florida has estimated that 21 of the 24 miles of Broward’s beaches are critically eroding, and in a few areas there is little beach left at high tide. To combat this ongoing erosion and to ensure the presence of adequate storm protective and recreational beaches, Broward County has been engaged in shore protection, beach restoration, and beach sand management since the early 1960's, at which time the Federal Government authorized the County to construct beach restoration projects with federal cost-sharing. In 1970, the first County-sponsored beach restoration project was conducted in Pompano Beach, followed by similar projects at John U. Lloyd Beach State Recreation Area (1977 and 1989); Hollywood and Hallandale (1979 and 1991); and Pompano Beach and Lauderdale-By-The-Sea (1983). The projects, cost-shared by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the State of Florida, Broward County, and the affected municipalities, involved dredging sand from offshore “borrow sites” and pumping the sand onto the target beach. These projects have performed as designed, in most cases exceeding their design life of 10 to 12 years. Total costs for the projects were approximately $38.5 million, with the Federal Government contributing about $19 million, the State contributing $14 million, and local government paying about $6 million.

RATIONALE

The rationale for conducting these relatively temporary and expensive projects is primarily economic, although the beaches are also a primary nesting grounds for threatened and endangered sea turtles, and are important habitat for a number of plant and animal species. Economically, beaches are critical to Broward County:

BEACH MANAGEMENT HISTORY

Broward County has conducted six previous beach nourishment projects with subsequent reimbursement of the federal and state shares of the eligible costs.

Broward County Beach Restoration/Nourishment Projects
(Costs in millions)

Beach management in Broward County also benefits from the activities of the Hillsboro Inlet District, which carries out maintenance dredging at Hillsboro Inlet in the northern part of the County. Over 100,000 cubic yards of sand per year are mechanically placed on the beach south of the inlet, thereby stabilizing several miles of beach within the City of Pompano Beach.

Despite the County’s historical successes at stemming the erosion of our beaches, there are steps that can be taken to improve Broward’s beach management program. Beach restoration and beach nourishment are expensive and to a degree temporary, and require a continuing supply of economically accessible sand. Unfortunately, project costs are increasing, and economical sources of sand are dwindling. Therefore, future plans for beach erosion control in Broward County must include ways to increase the lifespan of beach nourishment, and lower the long-term financial exposure of all participants. Such a plan is taking shape at Broward County.

Existing Conditions

BEACH MANAGEMENT PROGRAM

The current Broward County Beach Management Program is a comprehensive plan to replace beach sand where it is needed, to stabilize the most erosive stretches of beach, and, by means of inlet sand bypassing, to “feed” those beaches which are eroding because of the presence of stabilized inlets. The program has three elements: First, place beach fill on all of the County’s eroding beaches in one project, thereby achieving an economy of scale in terms of cost, environmental impacts, and engineering effectiveness. Current projections call for about 3 to 4 million cubic yards of sand to be placed on 12 to 14 miles of shoreline, including all or parts of Pompano Beach, Lauderdale-By- The-Sea, Fort Lauderdale, John U. Lloyd Beach State Recreation Area, Dania, Hollywood, and Hallandale. The beach in the nourished areas will be 75 to 150 feet wider after the project.

The second element of the proposed Beach Management Program involves constructing erosion control structures, such as highly-engineered T- head groins, along acutely erosive beaches in order to keep the beach in place. For example, preliminary studies indicate that 13,000 to 30,000 cubic yards of erosion every year can be prevented by placement of a few specialized structures just downdrift of the Port Everglades Inlet. Such structures, in combination with the other elements of the management program, can help sustain our beaches over the long term.

The third element of the Beach Management Program is sand bypassing at Port Everglades Inlet. Restoring the historical southward migration of sand, in combination with the other elements of the program, will reduce the extent and frequency of expensive beach nourishment projects and provide a nearly sustainable beach for the communities of Dania, Hollywood, and Hallandale. Without sand bypassing at Port Everglades, the cost of providing beach nourishment for the beaches south of the Port may become prohibitive.

The cost for implementing the overall program is estimated to be about $70 million, with $60 million as the beach nourishment/structures component and about $10 million for the sand bypassing system, including two biennial dredging events. The State of Florida has to date pledged $about 10 million for assistance with beach nourishment. Federal cost-sharing at historical levels would equal about $35 million for beach nourishment. Broward County and the affected municipalities are energetically pursuing federal appropriations for this vital project.

Implementing the proposed Beach Management Program is an important step in ensuring that one of our most valuable assets - our beaches - will be preserved for future generations. According to preliminary estimates, construction of each of the program’s three elements - beach nourishment, stabilizing structures at John U. Lloyd Beach, and sand bypassing at Port Everglades - will result in annualized savings of about $1.8 million per year over a 50-year analysis period, compared to our historical program of conducting beach nourishment projects only. (5) Most importantly, implementing the program will enable a virtually sustainable beach in Broward County, and ensure that the beaches’ considerable economic and environmental benefits continue into the future.

PROJECT STATUS

Federal appropriations: The Congress of the United States has appropriated approximately $7 million for the project to date, directed to Corps of Engineers review of design documents and reimbursement of the County for the Federal share of the eligible costs for engineering, design, permitting, NEPA documentation, and preparation of plans and specifications. The County has requested a $10 million appropriation for FY 2006, for partial reimbursement of the projected Federal share of the construction costs.

State appropriations: To date, the Florida Legislature has appropriated approximately $10 million for the state share of the non-federal project costs.

County appropriations: The County has appropriated through its capital accounts sufficient funds to pay “up front” for engineering/design, plans and specifications, environmental monitoring, mitigation construction (10.1 acres of mitigation for nearshore hardbottom impacts was completed in 2003), and construction of beach and structures south of Port Everglades. Broward budget officials are exploring alternatives for funding the remaining project costs, including scenarios wherein Federal funding is less than projected.  The current schedule calls for construction to begin in April, 2005.

Municipal shares of the costs are payable to the County upon commencement of construction. Affected municipalities are including their cost-share in their respective capital budgets.

WATER RESOURCES DEVELOPMENT ACT AUTHORIZATIONS

Section 506(a)(1) of the 1996 Water Resources Development Act (WRDA) directs the Secretary to carry out periodic beach nourishment in Segments II and II (Pompano Beach through Hallandale) for a period of 50 years from the date of initial construction of the projects.

Section 227 of the 1996 WRDA reaffirms the federal interest in shore protection and beach nourishment, directs the Secretary to study and recommend new beach projects to Congress, and mandates the construction of authorized projects for which funds have been appropriated. This section also mandates federal/state/regional coordination in conducting projects, and provides funding authorization for a National Shoreline Erosion Control Development and Demonstration Program.

Section 311 of the WRDA of 1999 modifies the authorized Shore Protection Project to authorize reimbursement of the Federal share of costs incurred by Broward County for preconstruction engineering and design, and Section 412 of the same Act authorizes a Federal study of the feasibility of sand bypassing at Port Everglades Inlet. In addition, the 1999 WRDA authorizes a National Shoreline Study to quantify the benefits of beach erosion control works, provides for the establishment of a National Coastal Data Bank, and contains several other provisions which are advantageous to Federal participation in beach erosion control projects nationwide.

CONCLUSIONS

The economic, environmental, and quality of life values of beaches to Broward County, to the State of Florida, and to the Nation mandate that all the beneficiaries of these values participate actively in ensuring that the beaches remain healthy. Inasmuch as most beaches in South Florida are eroding to some degree due to various causes such as stabilized inlets, encroaching development, storms, and poor sediment management, the alternatives are clear: make the commitment to maintain the beach infrastructure, restore it when it’s gone, or lose it. Regular, planned maintenance is less expensive than restoration, and the evolution of coastal engineering means that beach restoration and nourishment projects can be constructed to be more durable than in the past.

The Broward County Beach Management Program is aimed at restoring those County beaches which are critically eroding, preserving the restored beach at those areas which are most prone to erosion, and bypassing sand at Port Everglades Inlet in order to reduce erosion rates downdrift of the Inlet. For an investment of $70 million over the next several years, nesting habitat for thousands of threatened and endangered of sea turtles per year, infrastructure worth almost a billion dollars annually, and storm protection for billions of dollars in property and thousands of lives can be sustained well into the next century.

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