A CLEAN SWEEP: As emergency restoration project moves forward, BP sends ‘Sand Shark' packing

The Holiday Isle emergency sand project is slated to begin Sept. 15 after BP crews hand-cleaned area beaches earlier this week.

“The project is expected to be completed in 11 days,” City Manager Greg Kisela wrote in an e-mail Friday.

The project, which will allow for 140,000 cubic yards of sand to be dredged and placed on 2,600 feet of beach on Holiday Isle, was put on hold last week as the city waited for BP and the Coast Guard to “release the beach.” Now that it is cleaned and buried tar balls have been removed, the eroded properties from the western boundary of Destin Pointe to the eastern edge of Holiday Surf and Racquet Club will finally see relief.

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Dredge operator Weeks Marine also posed another hurdle for the city, as they were concerned with the amount of sand in the dredge borrow site and wanted reassurance from the city that enough sand would be present.

The city assured the dredger that there would be enough sand and Weeks Marine is expected to sign the contract in the “next day or so.” He also said the city has received the remainder of the money from the Holiday Isle homeowners to fund the project, and that the county has “received the easements they were requiring” from the homeowners/condominium associations.”

In addition to receiving emergency sand, Holiday Isle beaches were set to be deep cleaned courtesy of BP and its mechanical beach cleaner the “Sand Shark,” which is a $300,000 sand-sifting device that will be used to lay a clean foundation for the new sand. But after BP representatives decided the product on the beaches was light enough to handle with hand cleaners, the future use of the “Sand Shark” on the rest of Destin’s beaches is in doubt.

The machine operates by digging up to a foot-and-a-half into the sand and lifts the sand onto a conveyor belt, then dumps it through a sifting device. The Shark has already been used on Eglin beaches.

“I think they are still planning on using it, but it hasn’t been confirmed,” Kislea said.

Tony Repka, a BP liaison who recently replaced Florida Branch 2 Director Jimmy Zierdt, told The Log that they have removed the mechanical beach cleaning machines from Destin to Mobile, Ala. He said there is currently a debate about the benefits and the risks of using the machines and the damages they may cause to the ecosystems.

“Rather than having these things just sitting there parked, they are being pulled out for now, and we will continue to follow the debate along and see what happens,” he said.

While the future of mechanical beach cleaning is unclear right now, reports of tar balls washing ashore continue to come in. Although the phones at City Hall have been silent, Kisela said he has had discussions with BP and the Coast Guard, and “that is what we are going to see as things get stirred up in the Gulf.” He said Destin residents should expect to see both tar balls and tar chips for the immediate future.

City Council:

The Destin City Council will meet for their regular meeting Tueday at 6 p.m. at the City Hall Annex on Indian Bayou Trail. City facilities will be closed Monday for Labor Day. The council will hold the first public hearing on adopting the FY2011 millage rate and next year’s budget. The council will also discuss the city attorney contract and give an update on the Hwy. 98 Pedestrian Crossing Plan. Destin Log Reporter Matt Algarin will be at the meeting and offer a live play-by-play at thedestinlog.com