INDIAN RIVER COUNTY —The Indian River County Board of Commissioners has decided to join Martin and St. Lucie counties to thwart an effort by the Army Corps of Engineers to take sand from the Treasure Coast and send it south.
Public Works Coastal Engineer James Gray brought the Sand Wars to the County Commission May 10, asking the Commission to heed the County’s Beach and Shore Preservation Advisory Committee’s recommendation and join counties to the south – Martin and St Lucie – in a “coordinated response” to the Army Corps of Engineer’s plan to dredge and relocate bulk ocean sand from Martin and St.Lucie County to Miami-Dade.
A sand study by the Florida Department off Environmental Protection and the Army Corps, in spite off negative comments and opposing resolutions from all the counties along the Treasure Coast, concluded that the relocation of sand from offshore St. Lucie and Martin represented “no significant (environmental) impact.”
Indian River was not included in the study: however, the Beach Committee voiced concerns that “removal of beach quality sand deposits from St. Lucie and Martin counties could negatively affect Indian River County if the growing demand for beach quality sand extended into Indian River County.”
Gray urged the commission to work with St. Lucie and Martin counties in forming a coalition, taking their concerns to the state “and then to the Fed, to seek a hearing, even get Congressman Patrick Murphy involved.”
The commission voted 5-0 to support the beach committee’s request and direct staff to communicate with Martin and St. Lucie counties and the appropriate state and federal agencies.
