District 1 Commissioner Dan Curry requested an update on the County’s beach
renourishment efforts, to include any updated info from the Army Corps of
Engineers (ACE). Environmental Manager Melinda Gates explained that the
County does have a cooperative agreement with ACE and she receives updates
about every two weeks.
“Of course, it is government, so it does not move quickly. With that being said,
over the past year, ACE has entered into a contract with Deitz Engineering &
Surveying and that particular group went out and did surveys along the beach
(November 2025) and just finished up with their topography surveys in April of
this year and they’ve also finished their hydro surveys, which are all water-side
survey in May,” she said.
Ms. Gates said ACE would take all that data and turn it
into a revised design plan. “They have also collected beach sand samples to
confirm what kind of sand we have, so that as they look at the borrow sites, to
make sure it is compatible.”
Next will come property appraisals and beach renourishment implementation costs,
which will go into an economic analysis – required for any federally-funded
project. “They’re starting on the work of revising all the design, so that process is
going to be fairly lengthy,” said Gates, likely fall of 2027, with a final design
expected around May 2028. “Again, it doesn’t move quickly, but we are moving,”
she said.
District 4 Commissioner Donna Johns asked about efforts to duplicate the sand that
currently exists on Walton County beaches, Gates explained the ACE is looking
three miles out into the Gulf of America as a possible borrow site, similar to recent
efforts by Bay County officials.
renourishment efforts, to include any updated info from the Army Corps of
Engineers (ACE). Environmental Manager Melinda Gates explained that the
County does have a cooperative agreement with ACE and she receives updates
about every two weeks.
“Of course, it is government, so it does not move quickly. With that being said,
over the past year, ACE has entered into a contract with Deitz Engineering &
Surveying and that particular group went out and did surveys along the beach
(November 2025) and just finished up with their topography surveys in April of
this year and they’ve also finished their hydro surveys, which are all water-side
survey in May,” she said.
Ms. Gates said ACE would take all that data and turn it
into a revised design plan. “They have also collected beach sand samples to
confirm what kind of sand we have, so that as they look at the borrow sites, to
make sure it is compatible.”
Next will come property appraisals and beach renourishment implementation costs,
which will go into an economic analysis – required for any federally-funded
project. “They’re starting on the work of revising all the design, so that process is
going to be fairly lengthy,” said Gates, likely fall of 2027, with a final design
expected around May 2028. “Again, it doesn’t move quickly, but we are moving,”
she said.
District 4 Commissioner Donna Johns asked about efforts to duplicate the sand that
currently exists on Walton County beaches, Gates explained the ACE is looking
three miles out into the Gulf of America as a possible borrow site, similar to recent
efforts by Bay County officials.