The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Jacksonville District, has taken another step forward regarding the Lido Key Hurricane and Storm Damage Reduction project, specifically finalizing the Environmental Assessment and signing a Finding of No Significant Impact for this project.
The purpose of the document is to assess the effects on the human environment of dredging beach compatible sand from the Big Sarasota Pass ebb shoal. Updated information on the groin features proposed at the southern end of the project is also included. The sand will be placed along the shoreline of Lido Key to protect upland infrastructure and to restore beach habitats. The project is located in Sarasota County.
The EA evaluates the effects of both the Preferred Alternative and the No Action Alternative. Past analyses conducted pursuant to National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) evaluated sand placement and the groin features, but the offshore sand source alternatives that were previously analyzed are no longer considered viable for this project. The Corps signed a Finding of No Significant Impact July 30, 2018.
The City of Sarasota has worked with the federal government to address shore erosion along the Lido Key shoreline for more than 50 years. Congress most recently authorized the current Lido Key Hurricane and Storm Reduction Project in 1999, and directed the Corps to construct the project in the Water Resources Development Act of 2007.
The City of Sarasota has nourished Lido Key several times since 1998 when severe beach erosion and storms threatened structures. The sand from Lido Key moves into the ebb shoal at Big Sarasota Pass, where a portion of it then moves to Siesta Key through swash bars that attach to the shoreline. Modeling conducted in 2013-2014 found that dredging material from the ebb shoal would not affect the volume of sediment bypassing Big Sarasota Pass and attaching to Siesta Key.
The final EA and FONSI are available on the Corps’ website at www.saj.usace.army.mil/About/DivisionsOffices/ Planning/EnvironmentalBranch/EnvironmentalDocuments.aspx.
For more information on the Lido Key project, please visit the Jacksonville District web site at http://www.saj.usace.army.mil/Missions/Civil-Works/Shore-Protection/Sarasota-County/.
For more information about Corps coastal resiliency projects, visit www.saj.usace.army.mil. Also stay tuned-in for more Jacksonville District information by joining the team on social media at www.facebook.com/JacksonvilleDistrict; and, on Twitter at www.twitter.com/JaxStrong.
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