LTC 138-2009 Miami Beach Renourishment Project: Truck Hauls in the hotspot areas of 29th, 44th, 55th, and 65th Streetst-~t~ I\r~-"~
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OFFICE OF THE CITY MANAGEk
No. LTC # tsa-zoos LETTER TO COMMISSION
To: Mayor Matti Herrera Bower and Members of the City Commission
FkoM: Jorge M. Gonzalez, City Manager ~~
DATE- May 28, 2009
SUBIECT Miami Beach Renourishment Proj~c{: Truck Hauls in the hotspot areas of 29`", 44ih
55i°, and 65° Streets
The purpose of this LTC is to provide you with an update on the planned beach renourishment for
2009 and the beach renourishment activities that were completed in 2008.
In the past, renourishment of the erosional hotspots in Miami Beach each operated under separate
site specific permits. This site by site approach was reactive and made expedient repairs difficult at
times. The Miami-Dade County Department of Environmental Resources Management {DERM) has
worked with the Florida Department of Environmental Protection {FDEP) to obtain a blanket permit
that will streamline renourishment activities for the erosion hotspots at 27r'' Street, 44°' Street, 55"'
Street, and 65" Street. The new permit is effective for 10 years and does not expire until March 24.
2019.
Miami Beach Truck Hau! Renourishment Project 65°i Street Hotspot:
The County has prioritized the 65`' Street hotspot and began truck hauling renourishment on
Tuesday, May 26, 2009. The sand will be obtained from Ortona mines in Central Florida. This
source has been approved by the FDEP and has been previously used for past renourishment
projects in Florida. The County contractor will be using all-terrain dump trucks to place the sand
directly on the beach and then will grade the placed sand to provide storm protection and
recreational benefits. The County will be depositing approximately 121,000 cubic yards of sand at
this erosional hotspot area. 58.720 cubic yards shall be placed seaward of the Mean High Water
Line (MHWL) covering an area of 6.6 acres. The remaining 62,280 cubic yards shall be placed
landward of the MHWL.
In order to minimize the length of beach traveled by the trucks during a sand hauling event and to
maximize the effectiveness of sand deposition. the Public Works Department will be establishing a
temporary access point at 53" Street. Public Works will be removing a portion of the coral rock wall
at the southern end of the parking lot to allow the County to safely access the beach. The wall is not
historic and the rocks will be retained for possible reuse. In order to ensure pedestrian safety and
access to the beach, an appropriate Maintenance of Traffic (MOT) plan, including certified flagmen
around the site, will be implemented. A County construction inspector will be on-site at all times to
monitor renourishment activities. In addition, the County will also be conducting outreach to the
upland properties between 53"' Street and the 65"~ Street renourishment site. In the event of a
hurricane warning, the contractors will grade down all deposited sand. remove all equipment located
on the beach, and cease all operations until the hurricane advisory is cleared.
Upon completion of the 65" Street renourishment, the County will continue to conduct
renourishment activities for the 29° , 44`°, and 55'' Street hotspots. These hotspots will be prioritized
based on inspections of site conditions as the year progresses.
Miami-Dade County Renourishmenf Funding:
In May. Miami-Dade County simultaneously began renourishment activities for Miami Beach, Bal
Harbour: and Sunny Isles Beach. These projects are jointly funded by the State and the County.
The State has contributed approximately S3 million and the County has contributed approximately
$2.5 million, for a grand total of $5.5 million in funding for 2009.
The Army Corps of Engineers (ACE) received approximately 54.5 billion under the American
Recovery and Reinvestment Act. The Army Corps of Engineers Jacksonville District had listed
Beach Renourishmenf inMiami-Dade County as a priority project in the Southeast region to receive
funding and requested approximately S11 million dollars to restore the County s beaches. However,
the Office of Management and Budget excluded shovel-ready beach renourishment construction
projects in Florida and throughout the nation from the US Army Corps of Engineers list of eligible
projects to receive funding through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.
President Barack Obama proposed that the 2010 federal budget include $45 million for beach
renourishment nationwide, which marks the largest amount that a president has proposed in
more than a decade. This proposal, however, is pending final Congressional approval.
The Florida state budget allocates S15 million for statewide beach renourishment projects. The
Miami-Dade County project, which covers renourishment for the City of Miami Beach, was the
second project on the recommendation list for funding provided to the Legislature by the Department
of Environmental Protection (DEP). DEP has not yet decided on the distribution of the $15 million.
In April, the County applied for S4 million from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
(NOAA) Coastal and Marine Habitat Restoration Project Grants under the American Recovery and
Reinvestment Act. NOAA is still in the process of allocating these grant funds.
Miami Beach Truck Haul Renourishmenf Project 29"', 44"'and 55'~ Street Hofspots:
The County conducted a truck haul beach renourishment project in 2008 for the erosion hotspots
located at 29r', 44~, and 55'" Streets. This project operated under the existing FDEP and Army
Corps of Engineers permits that were previously obtained for the renourishment activities in 2007.
This project used sand trucked in from inland quarries in Central Florida. Trucks hauled the sand
onto the beach and placed it in the erosional hotspots areas to a specified grade. Approximately
20,000 cubic yards of sand were placed in the area between 27"' and 29'" Streets. 20.000 cubic
yards of sand were placed between 44"and 46`~ Streets, and 30,000 cubic yards of sand between
53`tl and 55° Streets. The County completed the renourishment of all three shoreline areas in
November 2008.
Sand Back-Passing from AccretionaJ Areas to the 29`h Street Erosion Hotspot
Although the three (3) limerock breakwater structures placed at 321° Street were very successful in
preventing erosion upstream (north) of the breakwater structures. the erosion downstream (south) of
the southernmost breakwater remained a problem since the inception of the breakwaters. The
Florida Institute of Technology (FIT} conducted a study analyzing the breakwater structures in June
2008. The FIT study concluded that the structures have reached equilibrium and have eliminated
the erosion hot spot between 29th Street to 32nd and immediately to the north of the breakwaters
(32nd Street to 39th Street). However, the breakwaters have accelerated the erosion immediately
downdrift (south) of the structures from 29th Street south to 22"'' Street. The report presented
structural alterations and other alternatives for improving the performance of the existing
breakwaters and adjacent beaches. Due to the dynamic nature of the beach. the City and the
County are continuing to monitor the area between 271i and 29'". The County will implement
modifications to the breakwaters structures based on results of the on-going monitoring.
From November 2007 to January 2008. the DERM conducted a sand back-passing renourishment
project to address this hotspot area. The project transferred approximately 70,000 cubic yards of
accreted sand from the shoreline between 8"'and 15"' Streets to the eroded shoreline between 22nd
and 29'" Streets. The sand back-passing method consisted of excavating sand from accreted
areas and moving it by truck a short distance to a pit where a dredge then pumps sand mixed with
water through a pipeline to the eroded areas. The sand back-passing method of beach
renourishment has proven to be a less disruptive method of moving sand than the truck hauling
method. The sand back-passing project was very successful and this renourishment method is
expected to be used again in the future.
If you have any suggestions or need additional information, please feel free to contact me
JMG! IFf~~ /LEB/ESW
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