By Lisa ZahnerINDIAN RIVER COUNTY — County Coastal Engineering officials were concerned that Hurricane Bill would further deplete the precious sand on Indian River County beaches, but surveys early this week showed that we lucked out.Due to Bill’s angle of approach and the geometry of our area and the storm, Bill brought southeast winds and wave action, which typically bring sand from offshore.”We found a few nests washed out,” said Jonathan Gorham, director of the county’s coastal engineering division of public works. But sea turtle monitors also found patches of accumulated sand along the edges of many more nests than the ones that had been washed out. “It seems that on the dry parts of the beach, Bill actually added sand,” Gorham said.This is good news for barrier island residents concerned about areas of the shoreline eroded from the hurricanes of 2004 and awaiting renourishment this fall or, if there are delays, sometime in 2010. The County is in the process of reviewing bids from contractors who submitted proposals to replenish the 6.5-mile tract of beach from Treasure Shores Park to the north end of John’s Island. The most damaging winds and wave action tend to come from the northeast and, with a tropical cyclone where the winds rotate around the center of the storm, it can bring winds from different directions. About a dozen park rangers, engineers and volunteers survey the beaches daily at dawn to keep track of the progress of the nesting season and any beach erosion which might occur.Gorham said his department will be watching any active storms and monitoring their effects on the beaches.”You never know what will happen with Danny,” he said.
