USA: Corps Invites Comments on Flagler County Shoreline Study

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Jacksonville District, invited the public to review and comment on the Flagler County, Fla., Hurricane and Storm Damage Reduction Project Draft Integrated Feasibility Study and Environmental Assessment.

The open comment period is starting today, Jan. 17, and ends Feb. 17.

The study team, consisting of federal, state and local agency officials, assessed the feasibility of providing federal hurricane and storm damage reduction measures to portions of Flagler County’s shoreline. Shoreline erosion there threatens oceanfront infrastructure, including National Scenic Highway SR A1A and both public and private structures. As the only north-south hurricane evacuation route for communities along the coastline, SR A1A is an integral part of the county’s infrastructure and is essential for public safety during evacuation events.

Opportunities to reduce the risk of coastal damages and improve conditions were examined and approximately 9.7 miles of coastline were investigated in the feasibility study. Other areas of the county’s 18-mile shoreline were found either to not have excessive erosion such that infrastructure was threatened, or that the benefits were not likely to outweigh the costs of implementing a solution.

The study team evaluated the feasibility of providing hurricane and storm damage reduction within the Marineland, Painters Hill, Beverly Beach, and Flagler Beach reaches of the Flagler County coastline. Alternatives considered included no action, non-structural measures (flood proofing, relocation, land acquisition, etc.), shore protection with hard structures (seawalls, revetments, groins, etc.), shore protection with soft structures (beach nourishment, geotubes, etc.), combinations, and others.

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Press Release, January 17, 2014