Blind Pass Ecosystem Restoration

Client: Lee County Division of Natural Resources

Date: 2008 – Ongoing

Coastal Engineering Consultants (CEC) is providing comprehensive construction administration, environmental, and monitoring services for the Blind Pass Restoration Project. Approximately 150,000 cubic yards of material were removed in the initial maintenance dredging event of 2009. Beach compatible material was placed on downdrift beaches, and non-beach compatible material was temporarily dewatered at a beach containment cell site and then transported to an upland disposal site. CEC is also assisting Lee County implement a mitigation plan to offset direct impacts from the initial dredging.

Specific duties included:

• value engineering the County’s original project design;
• redesigning the containment cell, resulting in over $500,000 in cost savings;
• mapping seagrasses within the dredge footprint and adjacent bay;
• assisting the County obtain FDEP Notice to Proceed;
• establishing survey control;
• conducting the physical monitoring plan consisting of beach profiles, ebb and flood shoal cross sections, inlet hydraulic measurements and analysis, sediment sampling, and reporting;
• performing construction administration services consisting of bi-weekly meetings, pay requests, contractor coordination, and project certifications; and
• resident project observation services.

The most recent maintenance dredging event completed in 2013 removed over 100,000 cubic yards of sand from the Pass and interior system and placed it on the downdrift beaches. The project was phased to take advantage of a mobilized contractor for a similar beach project within the County. CEC provided comprehensive services including assisting with permit modifications along with an update to the Biological Opinion, construction plan and technical specification preparation, contract procurement support, construction and monitoring surveys, turbidity monitoring, construction observations, and general construction administration. CEC also performed the permit required biological and physical monitoring including publishing the annual monitoring reports with analyses and assessment of project performance.