SAND SUCCESS?: Residents and officials disagree on how much sand remains on Walton County beaches

Almost three years after the completion of the Walton County beach restoration project, county officials and residents are at odds over how much of the sand remains.

The five-mile project, which was conducted in three phases from May 2006 to June 2007, placed 2,807,060 cubic yards of sand dredged from the East Pass along the shoreline in Walton County. A two-mile stretch of beach in Destin, from the Walton County line to the eastern boundry of Henderson State Park, was also restored.

Okaloosa County Beach Projects Coordinator Jim Trifilio announced at a recent Tourist Development Council meeting that the second post-construction physical monitoring report concluded that only six percent of the sand placed on beaches during the restoration has been lost.

“Six percent is nothing,” Trifilio said. “It’s really good news that I think bodes well for future projects in the area.”

But Destin resident Linda Cherry said she doesn’t think it’s possible that 94 percent of the sand placed on her beach has remained. Cherry, who lives in a beachfront home, said she sees the beach everyday and has noticed a loss of sand.

She said natural landmarks and monuments on the beach provide a measuring stick by which residents can judge the size of the beach. In addition, she said the loss of sand is evident when walking on the beach because it “squeaks.” She said the sand placed during the project didn’t squeak like the original quartz sand, and the sand that didn’t squeak is gone.

“None of these people in government walk on the beach everyday,” Cherry said. “I don’t think the beach is any larger than it was before.”

Cherry went on to say that she thinks restored beaches erode faster than those that are left alone. She said the beach in front of her home was actually accreting after Hurricanes Ivan and Dennis.

“I am now convinced from an environmental standpoint that this is not good for our beaches,” she said.

Cherry contracted Coastal Land Surveying in Shalimar to conduct her own survey of the beach, and she said they found evidence of a loss of sand. The restoration project placed 200 feet of sand on the beach, which put the erosion control line on dry land. According to Cherry, the survey determined that the ECL is now back in the water.

“They can say 94 percent of the sand is still here, but how can that be possible,” Cherry asked. “Here we are two years later, with no hurricanes, and the erosion control line is in the water.”

But Trifilio said it isn’t possible to judge the success of the project by sight or where the ECL lies. He said the restoration project creates a steep slope on the beach that will smooth itself out over time. The sand that was once on the beach will flow into the water to create sandbars, according to Trifilio.

“Those sandbars are available for protection and to naturally replenish the beach,” he said. “This project is working the way it’s supposed to work.”