U.S. Army Corps of Engineers hosts public meetings on revised setback guidance

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Jacksonville District will host a series of four public meetings to explain revised setback guidance to be used in the review of structures proposed for placement along certain federal channels. Identical meetings will be held on each of the following dates, with all meetings beginning at 6:30 p.m.:

Monday, Aug. 19             City of Deerfield Beach Commission Chambers

                                        150 N.E. 2^nd Avenue

                                        Deerfield Beach, FL 33441

Tues., Aug. 20                 Palm Beach Gardens Library

                                        11303 Campus Drive

                                        Palm Beach Gardens, FL 33410

Wed., Aug. 28                 Landrum Middle School

                                        230 Landrum Lane

                                        Ponte Vedra Beach, FL 32082

Tues., Sept. 10               Clearwater Beach Recreational Center

                                        69 Bay Esplanade

                                        Clearwater, FL 33767

          Each of the informal meetings will begin with a brief presentation by representatives of the Corps and the appropriate state sponsors, the Florida Inland Navigation District and the West Coast Inland Navigation District, and will be followed by a question-and-answer period.       

           In accordance with Section 10 of the Rivers and Harbors Act, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is responsible for protecting and maintaining the nation’s navigable waterways. In 1998, Jacksonville District issued setback criteria to be used in the review of structures proposed for placement along certain federal channels. Since then, minor revisions have been made to the setback guidance, to allow efficient, cost-effective and environmentally acceptable operation and maintenance of the federal channels.

        The federal channels to which the updated setback criteria applies are the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway (from the Florida state line to the St. Johns River), Intracoastal Waterway (east coast of Florida from the St. Johns River to Miami), the Intracoastal Waterway (west coast of Florida from the Caloosahatchee River to the Anclote River) and the Okeechobee Waterway (W.P. Franklin Lock west to Punta Rassa and from the St. Lucie Lock east to the Intracoastal Waterway). Under the new guidance, the optimum setback for all structures is 100 feet from the near design edge of the channel.

        Further information, including the new guidance, is available at www.saj.usace.army.mil, click on Missions, then Regulatory, then Items of Interest.

# # #