beach restoration update

I saw a short news clip last night that showed sand (looked white to me!) that had been pumped on the beach at Sandestin and was being moved around by bulldozers. There were stakes out in the water with flags on them that showed where the sand would end up. That's a LOT of sand! I can't wait to go see it in person.

Any pics of the progress?
From the project construction design maps, starting with dunes 8' above sea level with a 5:1 slope ther should be 125' of white sand beach at a 100:1 slope extending to the water line. From there several thousand feet of fill at a 15:1 slope into the gulf. Should be nice especially after nourishment is complete.

Any pics of the progress?
From the project construction design maps, starting with dunes 8' above sea level with a 5:1 slope ther should be 125' of white sand beach at a 100:1 slope extending to the water line. From there several thousand feet of fill at a 15:1 slope into the gulf. Should be nice especially after nourishment is complete.

Go here and click on the video clip to see the Ch 13 news story from this morning. It shows Brad Pickel in action.

Looks like white sand to me thank God

Go here and click on the video clip to see the Ch 13 news story from this morning. It shows Brad Pickel in action.

Brad has had to deal with a lot of irate and upset people in the last year and handle some very difficult situations and I think he does a great job. He knows how to handle a crowd and is an expert in his field.

Brad has had to deal with a lot of irate and upset people in the last year and handle some very difficult situations and I think he does a great job. He knows how to handle a crowd and is an expert in his field.

I have nothing negative to say about Brad. Sorry if it seems like I was going in that direction.

I have nothing negative to say about Brad. Sorry if it seems like I was going in that direction.

Didn't think you were, just wanted to give Brad some recognition.

Brad and TDC Director Kris Titus were kind enough to show me around the project today and it was impressive. The sand looks very good and it is hard to imagine how much they are bringing ashore until you see it. I will post some photos tomorrow but they won't convey the magnitude.

...edit...

Here is the link to photos:
http://www.sowal.com/photos-022206.html

Walton Sun:

Yellow hard hats, neonorange construction vests, emerald-green waters and new sugar-white sand are part of the rainbow of colors in the beach nourishment project that began Sunday near the Sandestin Hilton.
The first load of sand was shot from a couple of two-foot wide steel pipes around 9 p.m. Each 4,300-cubic-yard load of sand takes about 45 minutes to pump onto the beaches by way of an underwater pipe, said Brand Pickel, director of beach management for the Walton County Tourist Development Council.
?It?s the equivalent of 210 large dump trucks full of sand,? he said. Crews work around the clock, day and night, delivering five loads of sand a day.
The slurry pumped onto the beach is two-thirds water and one-third sand, Pickel said. Sand is dredged from the East Pass in Destin and transported to the construction site by the 315-foot Liberty Island dredge ship.
?We?re excited to finally get the project underway,? said Pickel.
It has taken nearly seven years of planning, permitting, finding sand and legal wrestling, he said.
Large mustard yellow tractors sculpt and contour the beach before and after the sand is delivered.
Dozens of thin metal poles dot the construction area. On each pole are three different colored ribbons tied 6 inches apart. The neon green, pink and blue ribbons guide surveyors to hit the correct height of sand in a certain area. The bottom green ribbon is the ?pay grade?, Pickel said. Sand has to hit that mark in order for Great Lakes Dredge and Dock and its subcontractors to get paid.
Work will continue if the seas cooperate.
?They can dredge in rougher waters than they can pump out,? Pickel said. ?Once the waves reach about 5 feet they can?t put sand on the beach.?
A crowd of curious spectators gathered on decks, balconies, walkovers and the beach to watch the construction.
?It?s giving us something to do. We?ve been taking pictures,? said Elaine Person from Indiana. ?When we got here there was no beach, now there is. It?s amazing how fast they do this.?
The nourishment project will raise the beach 7 to 8 feet and extend it 100 to 125 feet. A total of three million cubic yards of sand will be used to restore the beaches, Pickel said.
Person was surprised about how quiet the construction is. She had no problem sleeping during construction in front of her Sandestin room, she said.
The nourishment will also help bring in more tourist money to the county, said Stuart Slicis, a real estate agent with 21 Century Beach Realty.
?Quicker we get it down the more money we are going to get (from tourist dollars going into the bed tax) and we can then fix the rest of the beaches (in Walton County),? Slicis said. ?It will be fantastic for the (real estate) market.?

as so, finally, south walton county joins the rest of the world in protecting its beaches - the turtles will be extatic

i hope the ones who blocked it so long don't get any

www.protectwaltoncountybeaches.com

The Western Walton County/Destin Beach Restoration Project is moving smoothly as the first month of construction has come to an end.

At the first landing, the offshore submerged pipeline came onshore approximately 1,000 feet west of Finz Restaurant in the Sandestin Beach and Golf Resort. Work quickly began on the eastern segment of the first landing, which includes the beach area between Beachside II Condominium in Sandestin and Topsail Hill State Preserve. Approximately 4,800 feet of beach was restored by March 18 after the completion of this eastern segment. Attention was then turned to the western segment of the project between the Southwinds Condominiums in Sandestin and Sandtrap Road. The western segment of the first landing is scheduled for completion by the first week of April. At the completion of the two segments, approximately 9,000 feet or 24 percent of the total project area will be restored.

After completion of the first two segments, construction will move approximately 8,000 feet to the western border of the Crescent Condominium. The offshore submerged pipeline was installed the week of March 13th, allowing the project to continue much like the first landing point. Initially, the project will move eastward for roughly 4,000 feet tying into the existing project near Sandtrap Road. At the completion of the eastern segment, the beach will be constructed in a westward direction for approximately 4,500 - 4,700 feet in the vicinity of the Whale's Tail restaurant at Seascape. The eastern segment is scheduled for completion by the week of April 17th and the western segment should be completed by the week of May 15th.

as so, finally, south walton county joins the rest of the world in protecting its beaches - the turtles will be extatic

There was another confirmed turtle kill today at the beach restoration out west near Pensacola--restoration out there has stopped until further notice.

There was another confirmed turtle kill today at the beach restoration out west near Pensacola--restoration out there has stopped until further notice.

Yes, that was in Navarre. The restoration project in Western South Walton and Destin have trollers and divers surrounding the dredging boat when they are pulling sand to prevent another Turtle death on this project. Out company seems to be very cautious and professional.

I have been following the project in Navarre and very glad that we didn't hire that company. They seem to have an unique set of problems including drivers who are not familiar with equipment and turn it over on the beach several times.

Yes, that was in Navarre. The restoration project in Western South Walton and Destin have trollers and divers surrounding the dredging boat when they are pulling sand to prevent another Turtle death on this project. Out company seems to be very cautious and professional.

From what I understand, in Navarre they hired a "turtle trawler" at an added cost of $300,000 to make sure these things don't happen--maybe they'll just ask for a partial refund (what a pathetic situation). Mother Nature must certainly be pizzed off at this point.

Judging by the number of really happy people at the beach in front of Sandestin, the beach restoration is a home run.