Answers to Common Questions: 

 

The repair renourishment project is taking place on the west and east ends of the Panama City Beaches. The west end project area begins near the Bay County/Walton County line near Camp Helen (not including the Park), and runs eastward approximately 5.5 miles to Seagull Villas (just east of Splash Resort). The Pinnacle Port and Carillon Beach project area is within the western project area, adjacent to the Bay County/Walton County line. The east end project area begins at St. Andrews State Park (not including the Park) and runs westward approximately 2.0 miles to Sterling Beach Condos.

 

The project does not include the central project area because this area has been relatively stable. It was nourished after the 2005 storms as part of the 2005/2006 project and/or recovered its 2005 storm volume losses.

 

The Pinnacle Port and Carillon Beach addition to the project was bid as an option and is now part of the construction of the repair project. The necessary legal agreement and public access easements, which were required for the project to move forward, have been executed. 

 

*Approximately 600,000 cubic yards of sand will be placed within the west end project area, not including the Pinnacle Port and Carillon Beach project area. Approximately 375,000 to 400,000 cubic yards of sand will be placed within the Pinnacle Port and Carillon Beach project area. Finally, approximately 175,000 cubic yards of sand will be placed within the east end project area.

*The initial restoration of the Panama City Beaches in 1998-1999 placed approximately 8.3 million cubic yards of sand along the beaches. The 2005-2006 project placed approximately 3.3 million cubic yards of sand along the beaches.  The current project is a much smaller project in comparison to the previous projects, and it does not encompass the entire shoreline like the last two projects.

 

The construction cost for the repair project is $9.8 million and is entirely federally-funded; there are no local or state matching dollars required. Because this is an authorized and previously built federal shore protection project, the project team secured Federal Flood Control and Coastal Emergencies funds for this project to replace the sand losses due to the 2005 storms. The additional cost of the Pinnacle Port and Carillon Beach project is $3.5 million, and is funded by a combination of federal, state, and local dollars. The local cost-share is provided by the “Third Cent” Bed Tax, which is a dedicated beach nourishment fund.

 

Q: How long will this project take to construct?
The project is expected to take approximately 3 months, however construction may move faster or slower. There may also be circumstances that cause lengthy delays due to construction shutdown, like weather conditions or major repairs to equipment.

 

Q: What is the project schedule?
The order of the work is the west end project area, including the Pinnacle Port and Carillon Beach project area, and finally the East end project area. Please see Construction Schedule, for further details.

 

This is a federally-funded project. The US Army Corps of Engineers is managing the construction of the project. The Bay County TDC, on behalf of Bay County, serves as the local sponsor for the project and stays in constant communication and coordination with the US Army Corps of Engineers. Great Lakes Dredge & Dock Company is the dredging contractor. They also constructed the 1998-1999 beach nourishment project.

 

The sand for large-scale beach nourishment projects such as this come from our permitted, offshore “borrow areas.” These borrow areas are located approximately 3.5 miles offshore of the Thomas Drive area.

 

The sand is dredged from the offshore borrow areas into a hopper dredge. The hopper dredge motors from the borrow area closer to the project site and hooks up to a submerged pipeline. The submerged pipeline runs from just off the beach up onto the beach and connects to shore pipeline, which runs laterally along the dry beach. The sand is discharged as a water/sand slurry mixture through the pipeline, and bulldozers reshape the sand to meet the designed construction template.

 

The US Army Corps of Engineers performed testing of the borrow areas being used for this project and found no evidence of oil. The sand being placed on the beach is free from contamination from the oil spill. In addition, there is a Quality Assurance/Quality Control plan in place that will immediately address any sand quality issues that may arise.

 

The sand coming out of the pipe is a water/sand mix, and it often contains darker, fine material that wash out as the sand is reshaped on the beach by the bulldozers and dries out over time. This is not oil contamination. Again, there is a Quality Assurance/Quality Control plan in place that will immediately address any sand quality issues that may arise

 

Construction should progress at a rate of 500 feet to 1,500 feet per day. Barring any temporary work stoppages, this means the active construction area may only be in front of your property for a couple days. Please be patient. Everyone, including the contractor, US Army Corps of Engineers, and the Bay County TDC wants the project to continue moving down the beach and closer to completion.

 

The active work/construction area is limited to an approximate 1,000-2,000-foot section of beach. Simply walk laterally along the beach until you get around the active work area, locate a sand bridge that goes over the dredge pipe, and you will be able to access the Gulf. 

The contractor will build sand bridges over the dredge pipe, which is strung laterally along the shoreline, so that pedestrians may have access to the Gulf.

 

Unless the work temporarily ceases for repair or weather, work will continue 24 hours a day. These are extremely expensive projects, and it is not feasible to halt work overnight or on weekends.

 

The beaches of Panama City Beach that you see today are actually the result of two previous nourishment projects – one completed in 1998/1999 and the other in 2005/2006. Hurricane Opal (1995) caused significant erosion of the beaches and left very little dry beach along much of the Panama City Beaches. To combat this erosion, as well as erosion from storms since then, nourishment projects have been undertaken. These projects not only provide recreational beach width for the benefit of residents and visitors, but during storm events, the sand also provides critical protection of structures and infrastructure landward of the beach. Because of the 1998/1999 project, there was very little damage to upland development when Hurricane Ivan struck in 2004. This beach nourishment management program is much like a roadway or other such infrastructure – once it is built, it must be maintained. The work you see ongoing now is a small maintenance project that will help ensure continued use of a sandy beach and storm protection for the upland.

 

The sea turtle nesting season has drawn to a close at this point. The nests that remain on the beach will hatch before construction activities are scheduled to reach them.