Update 7/10/24
We have received questions about the sand at the Pier. Here's how the Beach Fill Equilibration works:
Coastal reaches, segments of the ocean shoreline, are not all equal. Because of natural variations in beach topography and the impact of man-made structures such as seawalls and armoring, some locations along any coastline are more vulnerable to erosion, while others are more likely to accrete sand that migrates in the coastal sand budget.
That particular location, St Augustine Beach Pier and the Embassy hotel immediately to its north, is the most highly erosive within the footprint of the federal shore protection project and one of the most highly erosive in St Johns Co. The present beach renourishment project is designed to include significantly greater amounts of sand in this area to compensate for that high erosion rate.
While the ongoing sand placement has temporarily left the pier “high and dry,” waves and currents will in the weeks and months ahead reshape the constructed beach fill by spreading sand to the adjacent parts of the coast through a process known as equilibration. Sand will be transported from the dry beach and deposited below the waterline within the active beach profile, which will help dissipate wave energy naturally generated by storms, for instance, thereby providing the intended coastal storm risk management benefits.
The sand placement is designed to do exactly this, to spread the defensive resistance to wave and storm energy throughout the beach profile, thereby strengthening the entire local coastline. This process begins immediately after construction, with a full adjustment of the beach shape typically requiring months or multiple significant wave events to be complete. See the attached graphic, which illustrates the process.
The pace of the re-shaping is in large part dependent of wave and storm activity. The greater the coastal storm activity, the shorter the duration of the equilibration process. In time, the St Augustine Beach Pier will reach out into the ocean, we just cannot predict when.
You can find more background info on the renourishment, and updated progress maps, at the USACE project webpage - https://www.saj.usace.army.mil/StAugustineBeach/
6/14/24
Due to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Jacksonville District Shoreline Protection Project, the north and south beach accesses at the St. Johns County Ocean and Fishing Pier will be alternating closures through June 25. ?
The north access is currently closed, but it will reopen once work is complete and equipment moves to the south side. This transition will require the pier’s southern beach access to close for the project to continue south. ❗ Expect similar patterns of beach access closures as the project progresses.
Fishing from the pier will also be closed to the public soon due to the expected sand placement extending further than the pier’s reach. ?️ However, the pier will remain open for sightseeing.
Alternative beach access points: 16th Street and 15th Street, just a short walk south from the pier parking lot!
More info: https://www.sjcfl.us/st-augustine-beach-army-corps-beach-project/ #MySJCFL SJC Beaches | St. Johns County Parks and Recreation | City of St. Augustine Beach Sent from my iPhone
5/31/24
USACE Jacksonville expects to resume dredging and sand placement along the St. Augustine Beach shoreline on or about June 6, pending unforeseeable weather or mechanical delays. Once operational, the team will place sand north of the Pope Rd. staging area to the border of Anastasia State Park; then change direction and continue southward toward the project terminus in the vicinity of A Street.
For updates, please visit: https://www.saj.usace.army.mil/StAugustineBeach/
5/15/24
The latest information we have from the USACE Jacksonville is that the project continues to be on hold due to equipment issues and conservation efforts of shorebirds. The project is expected to restart at the end of July/early August and we will provide updates as soon as we receive them.
USACE Jacksonville will publish updated timelines and progress maps on the project webpage – https://www.saj.usace.army.mil/StAugustineBeach/ -- and via its social media channels as the new start-up date approaches.
3/18/24
Please find the update on the Beach Renourishment project.
USACE Jacksonville has temporarily paused the start of its St. Augustine Beach shore protection renourishment project by three to four weeks to allow for the mobilization of additional equipment.
This rescheduling of the sand placement will maximize the effectiveness of beach construction in sync with the expected nesting and blossoming activity of coastal fauna and flora, which tends to vary from year to year due to fluctuations in weather impacts on species movement patterns and plant activity.
USACE expects the contractor to resume sand placement in early April. The planned project completion target of August 2004 is not expected to be adversely affected. The project is 100 percent federally funded via Flood Control and Coastal Emergencies appropriations.
USACE Jacksonville will publish updated timelines and progress maps on the project webpage – https://www.saj.usace.army.mil/StAugustineBeach/ -- and via its social media channels as the new start-up date approaches.
Contact
David Ruderman
904-616-0036
david.j.ruderman [at] usace.army.mil
Release no. 24-014
USACE Jacksonville temporarily pauses start of St. Augustine Beach shoreline renourishment > Jacksonville District > Jacksonville District News Releases (army.mil)
3/7/24
Update on USACE Jacksonville renourishment at St. Augustine Beach!
Pumping is scheduled to begin on March 8th, it will start at the State Park and move South to A Street.
2/24/24
Mobilization has begun for the USACE Jacksonville renourishment St. Augustine Beach!
The USACE contractor began establishing a staging area at the Pope Road access point and will continue deploying equipment in the week ahead. Beach placement of dredged sand is expected to start in early March.
The re-nourishment will place approximately 2.5 million cubic yards of sand on critically eroded beaches within the city of St. Augustine Beach, extending three miles from Anastasia State Park at the north to the vicinity of A Street at the southern end of the shoreline.
Placement will proceed from north to south. Jacksonville District will post work schedules and progress maps to its website and social media channels as the work progresses - https://www.saj.usace.army.mil/StAugustineBeach/.
The $33 million contract, awarded to Great Lakes Dredge and Dock Company, is 100 percent federally funded with Flood Control and Coastal Emergencies monies. The renourishment is projected to be complete by the end of June, weather permitting.
Initial construction of the 3-mile project was completed in January 2003. Since then the project has been renourished approximately every five years or following significant hurricane events. The Jacksonville District shares a strong partnership with St. Johns County, the non-federal sponsor for this project along with many others to protect eroded beaches along the county’s coastline.
Updates will provided as we receive them.