Beach Erosion Committee Meets with Environmental Consultant

"History changes daily here." So says Sam Johnston, an environmental consultant hired by the Lido Shores Property Owners Association referring to North Lido beach.   LSPOA's Beach Erosion Committee met with Johnston last Saturday to assess our beach options.

Environmental Consultant Sam Johnston shows importance of dune measurement 

Now a consultant, Johnston comes with an impressive pedigree, including a Masters degree in Oceanography from Florida State University, and eight-years with the Florida Department of Environmental Protection.  Johnston knows his stuff, but doesn't pretend to be able to predict when and where sand might suddenly disappear... or reappear for that matter.

Johnston urged committee members to look at both the short and long term impacts of any actions we might take.  The civil engineer is quite familiar with New Pass.  He worked some 15-years ago on the rock T-groin project on Longboat Key, just on the other side of the pass.  The three-rock groins still protect the beach area in front of Sands Point and several homes to the east.  And they're one of several approaches that Johnston said we might consider.

On the short-term side, Johnston says hard reinforcing geo-tubes are quite effective.  They were used as emergency measures before the permanent seawalls were put in years ago on the Lido Shores side of New Pass to protect the homes along Westway Drive.  He says the tubes, filled with a sand slurry and placed at the base of our dunes would be expected to last some 2-3 years.  That would buy us time to protect the dunes and provide a wait and see approach as to what might happen to water currents after New Pass is dredged this fall.

Exposed seagrape roots and other beach vegetation along dunes

Johnston agrees that the dredging on the protective shoal just west of New Pass last March may well have altered the current around our island and "robbed us of our sand source."

Using engineering jargon, he says the "synergistic impact was obviously magnified" in some way... and it's up to the cities of Longboat Key and Sarasota to prove that their dredging activity didn't cause our erosion problems.  Easier said than done, of course.

Johnston also urged us to place a measuring stick by the Dune directly in front of the Pavilion and take frequent measurements.  He pointed to our soon to topple Private Property sign as further proof that some immediate action  needs to be taken.  He even suggested applying for an emergency permit if need be, and hand delivering it to the powers that be in Tallahassee.

The committee is in the process of getting estimates on the cost of placing geo-tubes to slow further erosion of the dunes.

~BT
bthill@icloud.com