Beach contamination in Seagrove

[Smiling JOe]

ecopal, thanks for the recent post. Mr Graham's statement did not fit the usual bill for Commissioner Cindy Meadows, but she had me wondering, since no one posted stating that they had heard a direct response from her. I am glad to read that she did not give the go-ahead to illegally place the sand.

 

[lost in sowal]

Does anyone know if the county is going to extend the original temporary wall permits they issued to property owners? Also, how long do they last (I heard 6 months)? I heard that the first ones were approved back in July and should be expiring soon. Also, does anyone know when the last ones were issued and when they will expire?

 

[Smiling JOe]

Does anyone know if the county is going to extend the original temporary wall permits they issued to property owners? Also, how long do they last (I heard 6 months)? I heard that the first ones were approved back in July and should be expiring soon. Also, does anyone know when the last ones were issued and when they will expire?

I am not positive on the longevity of the temporary permits, but I seem to remember that the permits would be expiring around the beginning of Hurricane Season '06 (June). I am sure that every buried seawall that was permitted temporarily, will be converted into a permanent permit. If not, what contractor in his right mind would take on the liabililty for removing the sand, and the seawall, thereby placing the homes at risk to collapse? Also, I think it would cost more to remove the seawall than it would to install them. I just don't see it happening, and that is why I was raising He_ll about the seawalls a while back.

If I remember correctly, the DEP has to issue the permits. Does that sound right?

 

[lost in sowal]

I guess my question is more related to when will it no longer be allowed by the County and HAVE to be permitted by the state. If they get an extension on the County permit will this be able to continue on and on? If 6 months is right, then the summer will be safe because the state will have jurisdiction and can issue stop work orders by May 1. If the county is in charge and issues extensions then what will happen. It just seems like a good chance to stop the building by not reissuing County permits and let the state and feds sort it out. A summer with no tire tracks on the beach (except Grayton ) oh to dream...

 

[EZ4144]

Seawall? What seawall? All I see is sand.

 

[Smiling JOe]

Seawall? What seawall? All I see is sand.

Well just keep your head buried in the that hole in the sand, or is your hole in the septic tank?

 

[Miss Kitty]

Seawall? What seawall? All I see is sand.

I don't wish for it to happen, but never fear...those seawalls will be seen again.

 

[lost in sowal]

Maybe I confused two issues posting about walls in a sand thread but I think they are both related, but more importantly one has a more long term effect- walls. It appears that some of the Commissioners felt that people needed to protect their property with sand, walls whatever because of an emergency they were facing. Well, in case anyone is counting it's been since July that we had that emergency. Now I may be wrong but I think that if I was in an EMERGENCY situation then I would have been one of the first in line to "help myself" and there is no way that I would need an extension on my permit!!! The problem that may be coming is that the last permit in line from October could ask for the extension if some of the early ones get them now. This precedent could be more harmful than the INITIAL issuance, especially since an extension on the last permits mean this could continue forever and forever! This is the time to ask those questions since the commissioners are meeting next week and the vulchers will be lurching to get those extensions. The dark sand will wash away but the walls may last at the detriment of more sand.

Maybe I should become a coastal engineer so that I can serve as an expert witness when one property causes damages to another and the lawsuits begin

 

[ecopal]

>>>lost in sowal said "The dark sand will wash away but the walls may last at the detriment of more sand."<<<

Unfortuantely that is not true. The dark sand will be permanently mixed with the natural white beach sand .

What is unfortunate is that owners who have gone to the expense of putting white sand on their bluffs will find their nice white sand contaminated by their neighbor's cheap dark sand. This will happen through wind blown sand and future storm erosion.

Seagrove Villas and the properties to the west including Doodle and Seaside will have their beaches darkened permanently by their selfish neighbors up wind to the east who have put dark 6.2 grade sand on the beach.

Even though this darker sand being used by the Montgomery Street owners is supposed to be covered by a layer of whiter sand, it is not protected behind a seawall; they are installing a filled tube type system which can be washed over.

From the look of the sand that Seagrove Villas, Doodle and Seaside have put on the beach they have put higher grade whiter sand as a base than required. Good for them!

The Montgomery street (from Greenwood Ave. west) owners reportedly pressured the county to allow them to put dark sand significantly below the 7.2 standard set by the BCC in August. Go look for your self and then call your commissioners and ask for a special BCC meeting to investigate this atrocity.

 

[lost in sowal]

I am sorry if I meant to sound like the sand issue is not a problem because it may well be, the point is this appears to be like we're missing the forest for the trees. In the past storm, how much sand was washed out of the dunes and mixed with the beach? I have heard estimates of more than 40 feet in dune width. What color was the remaining bluff sand? It was not white in Kurt's pictures, and much worse than a 7/2 in some areas. What color was the beach sand, it was white with some black. What color is the beach sand now- WHITE.

Now let's go into the present- How much sand is being placed? Sometimes more than what was lost, sometimes less and it will have an impact but as shown in Kurt's and SJ's photos, the beach recovers with sand from the Gulf that is white, probably due from washing, mixing etc. Maybe we have hit a critical point but wouldn't a future storm have a similar impact?

Now with walls, that is something new on our beaches. In the other information I have read on walls in a previous thread, it appears they could have a more long term effect on the beach, which in turn will require more sand, and the viscious cycle continues. That was the point of my email. Walls that are "neccesary" either should be built within their original permit time or made to get a "real" permit from whoever it is in the state and feds (don't know, don't care). What do you think?