Sebastian inlet’s navigation channel is deeper again and its south beach has received more than a quarter million cubic yards of bypassed sand with the completion of the Sebastian Inlet District’s sand dredging and placement project.
“ Bypassing sand to downdrift beaches and maintaining the inlet’s navigational channel are critical to ensuring the inlet continues to be a key economic driver for the area ,” said Sebastian Inlet District Chairman, David Barney . “ This has been our mission for 107 years.”
ATL Diversified, the District’s contractor, placed more than 271,000 cubic yards of sand on the inlet’s south beaches, using upland truck haul sources (92,222 cubic yards) and 178,893 cubic yards from the inlet’s channel and adjacent underwater “sand trap. ”
In addition, ATL dredged and stockpiled 37,550 cubic yards of sand in the District’s Dredged Materials Management Area (DMMA) for future screening and beach placement. The DMMA is located on the north side of Sebastian Inlet State Park.
Total project cost was approximately $8.5 million, and the entire project is eligible for at least 50 percent cost-share under the Florida Department of Environmental Protection’s (FDEP) Beach Management Funding Assistance Program.