HUTCHINSON ISLAND, FLORIDA -- Bathtub Reef Beach, one of Martin County’s most popular beaches, is close to being restored since 2007 storm-driven waves left parts of its treasured dune needing sand and the parking lot undermined.
The county just needs to complete state and federal permitting to move the project forward, said Kathy FitzPatrick, Martin County’s coastal engineer.
“There (will) not be any of the classic re-nourishment people associated with beaches,” FitzPatrick said. “This is rebuilding the dune, planting the dune and letting nature take its course.”
A request for a resolution allowing erosion control on the beach — a step required before permits can be granted — goes before the Martin County Commissioners on Tuesday.
If permitting from the Florida Department of Environmental Protection and the Army Corps of Engineers comes in on time, FitzPatrick said the project will begin after sea turtle nesting seasons ends Oct. 31.
The state permit is to dredge sand from the St. Lucie Inlet to restore the vegetative dune. That would help protect park infrastructure in danger of being washed away by erosion.
Since there is not enough room for a normal replenishment project, the design allows some natural beach nourishment to take place from the restructured dune.
The county’s plan doesn’t threaten the reef being covered with sand. If more erosion at Bathtub Reef Beach later occurs, the sand would be caught in the St. Lucie Inlet sand trap as it flows south, according to the project summary.
And, if the county gets the permits, it could do unscheduled periodic sand replenishment whenever needed.
The cost of the project won’t be known until permitting is complete and the county proceeds with accepting bids from contractors.
Between 60 and 80 feet of beach and dune was lost to the sea, and in 2008, erosion began impacting residential areas south of the beach.
“We had some very sustained northeast winds with the lunar high tides with a high water situation,” FitzPatrick said. “We are still trying to obtain permits so that we can put it back into the condition it was in prior to the storms of 2007.”
The beach had been closed since early October but reopened in May, said Randy Phillips of the county’s park and recreation department.
Bathtub Reef Beach is a dynamic strip of sand dubbed “bathtub” because of the calm shallow waters that are the result of a protecting offshore reef.
“It’s a great place for parents to take their kids on a summer afternoon because it’s so calm and so shallow, but after the erosion there were tree stumps and rocks protruding that were uncovered, and it became very dangerous, instead of the protected environment we had before, which is another reason the beach was closed down,” FitzPatrick said.
