Construction will begin around Oct. 15, 2019, on the maintenance dredging project in Venice, Florida, to maintain the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway (GIWW). The project involves removal of shoaled sediment and use of the dredged material on the beach and nearshore area to take advantage of ecosystem restoration opportunities. The project is scheduled to run for several months and be completed before the end of the calendar year.
Project Overview: work near Venice involves maintenance dredging within an approximately 5-mile stretch of the GIWW. Over time, coastal processes have resulted in significant shoaling and deposition of sediment within the waterway, and maintaining long-term navigation requires the removal of these sediments.
October 2019 Maintenance Details:
- Construction crews will begin mobilizing in the area around Oct. 15, 2019, with active dredging beginning in early November. This will include bringing equipment to the staging areas and laying the pipeline that will deliver the dredge material to the placement location.
- Crews will use two staging areas for this project:
- The main staging area will be west of Historic Venice Train depot, south of the marina park, where construction teams will load the Dredge throughout the life of the project
- The second staging area will be at the Venice inlet entrance on the north shore, where crews will temporarily stage the pipeline.
- The dredge will work in four areas of the Intracoastal Waterway:
- South of the Tamiami Trail Bridge
- North of the Tamiami Trail Bridge
- North of Snake Island
- South of Snake Island
- Dredge material will move through a pipeline to a placement site near the Venice inlet entrance, where the sand will be shaped into the approved beach profile for this project.
Important Information For Residents:
- The Corps of Engineers has hired a vibration monitoring company named Seismic Surveys, Inc. Representatives from this company will be performing pre-construction surveys and taking photos of buildings and infrastructure in areas that may be impacted by construction. You may receive a letter informing you of this work, or the contractor may hand deliver the letter and ask permission to take photos of your property. You do not have to take part in the vibration monitoring or allow the contractor on your property.
- The area of active work will be closed during construction, which is usually about 1000-1500 feet of beach at a time. The rest of the beach will be open, but residents may have to deal with equipment moving from the beach access area to the active construction site.
- You may notice a difference in the sand that is added to the beach and what is already present. The sand is approved for use on the beach and is monitored for quality as it is placed. Over a few weeks, the sun will normally bleach the sand until it becomes closer to the color of the pre-project beach.
- There will be noise, vibration, areas of beach that are closed for periods of time, lights, less parking, and changes in foot traffic on the beach due to construction. We apologize in advance for this inconvenience and are working with the city to keep this to the bare minimum necessary to safely and effectively complete this project.
- If you have further questions, contact Jim Yocum from the Army Corps of Engineers Corporate Communications Office at 904-232-3914 for assistance.
Authority for this project: The Gulf Intracoastal Waterway from the Caloosahatchee River to the Anclote River, which includes the area near Venice, was authorized by Chapter 19 of the Rivers and Harbors Act of 1945 (PL 79-14) in accordance with House Document Number 371, 76th Congress. Route modifications were authorized by the Rivers and Harbors Acts of 1948 (PL 80-858), 1950 (PL 81-516) and 1954 (PL 83-780). The authorization directed the U. S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) to construct and maintain 160 miles of Intracoastal Waterway to ensure safe and operable navigation to a depth of 9 feet plus 2 feet of over depth Mean Lower Low Water (MLLW). The waterway construction began in 1960 and was completed in 1967.
The project winds through Lee, Charlotte Sarasota, Manatee, Hillsborough, and Pinellas Counties, Florida. The West Coast Inland Navigation District (WCIND) is the non-Federal sponsor for this project.