The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers awarded a maintenance dredging contract for portions of the Intracoastal Waterway (IWW) and the Ponce de Leon Inlet in Volusia County June 15.
The Corps awarded the $8.55 million contract to Cavache, Inc. of Pompano Beach Florida.
The maintenance contract will dredge sand deposited in the waterways with the passage of hurricanes Matthew and Irma, and two nor’easters. The Corps anticipates dredging will start in August and take about eight months to complete.
Work consists of maintenance dredging approximately 500,000 cubic yards of material from the IWW in the vicinity of Ponce de Leon Inlet from Cut V-22 to Cut V-35 to a depth of 12 feet plus 2 feet of allowable over-depth, and the Ponce de Leon Inlet navigation channel from Cut-1A to Cut-5N to a depth of 12 feet plus 2 feet of allowable over-depth.
According to the Corps, Cavache will place excavated material in a nearshore area about 1.6 miles south of the inlet. The excavated material will be piped via a pipeline down the waterway then transferred through an existing pipeline sleeve which is located at Sapphire Road and Maryanne Clancy Park which emerges onto the New Smyrna Beach and then placed in the nearshore.
The project also consists of dredging approximately 10,000 cubic yards of material from the Coast Guard Station at Ponce Inlet and placing it in the Rose Bay disposal area. Additional work includes turbidity and endangered species monitoring.
Consolidating these dredging projects is anticipated to result in a cost savings of $1.5 million. Placement of the dredged material in the nearshore of New Smyrna Beach brings dredging and coastal protection together through regional sediment management (RSM).
The mission of RSM is to use sand or sediment that is dredged from navigation channels and places it on or near shorelines to nourish beaches and reduce risks to landside infrastructure. Numerous wildlife species rely on these healthy beaches as a place to live, feed, rest and nest.