Coastal Resources

$10 million beach renourishment project underway on Holiday Isle in Destin

Sand placement on Holiday Isle beaches began Sunday as part of the $10 million federally funded restoration effort.

Jared Williams

The dredge for Okaloosa County’s $10 million beach renourishment project in Destin arrived a day ahead of schedule last Friday, with construction activity in the western section of the project area beginning Saturday, Okaloosa County announced.

Sand placement onto two areas of Destin beaches began Sunday as part of the FEMA-funded project to restore approximately 150,600 cubic yards of sand lost to erosion from Hurricane Sally. The project will add roughly 60 to 80 feet of public beach to help protect upland structures on Holiday Isle.

Sand is being pumped from a dredge positioned just offshore through a pipe leading to shore, moving west to east. Work began in the western portion, known as Reach 1, where 89,800 cubic yards of sand will be placed. The eastern portion, Reach 2, is estimated to begin receiving 60,800 cubic yards of sand on April 26. The total project is expected to take a couple of weeks, weather dependent.

A barge equipped with a crane and piping sits near the jetty in Destin as crews prepare to pump sand onto Holiday Isle beaches. (Okaloosa County)

A front-end loader positions large dredge piping on the beach in Destin as part of the ongoing beach renourishment project. (Okaloosa County)

Beaches remain open and accessible to the public during the work. Small, temporary closures will occur only where sand is actively being placed and will shift as the project progresses.

The $10 million project is largely funded through federal disaster recovery assistance, with $9 million coming from FEMA and $1 million from Okaloosa County tourism beach restoration reserve funds. The project is expected to be completed by the end of the month.

$10 million beach renourishment project in Destin to begin soon

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