 GUSTY WINDS THROW OFF BEACH RESTORATION Palm Beach Post -- Tuesday, May 1, 2001 By: William M. Hartnett, Palm Beach Post Staff Writer Blustery weather that is expected to linger throughout the week didn't bring much rain to the area on Monday but did play havoc with the already tight schedule of a Martin County beach restoration project. Strong easterly winds over the weekend and on Monday kept workers from New Jersey-based Weeks Marine from adding the last bits of sand to the roughly 2-mile stretch of shore from the south end of Stuart Beach north to Sandpebble Beach Condominiums. As of Friday, the restoration work that began Easter weekend was expected to be finished by the middle of this week, said Kathy Fitzpatrick, Martin County's coastal engineer. Because the project's original deadline was today, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the state Department of Environmental Protection granted the work a seven-day extension. But with 15 to 20 mph winds expected through at least Wednesday and with about four days worth of sand-pumping still necessary, meeting even the revised deadline could be a challenge. "It looked like we were in good shape," she said. "Now all we can do is sit and wait. We've done everything we could; it's just that we've been getting hit with weather that's a little more typical for March than for May." Fitzpatrick said the restoration project may need a second extension if winds continue to make the seas too choppy to work in but added that the contractor is still shooting for the revised Monday deadline. The work is the first half of an estimated $8.7 million plan to restore a 4-mile stretch of coast from the Martin-St. Lucie County line south to Indian River Plantation. The second part of the project is scheduled to begin in November or December, Fitzpatrick said. Though turtle nesting season has arrived, Fitzpatrick said nesting activity "really hasn't gotten into gear yet." She also said the work extension requires extra turtle watchers to be present while sand is added to the beach. St. Lucie County beaches suffered minor erosion Monday, but there were no reports of property damage. Winds caused a 2- to 3-foot ledge to form on beaches around South Beach Boardwalk in Fort Pierce, according to lifeguards. South Florida Water Management District gauges on Monday recorded less than 0.20 inches of rain across the Treasure Coast, but more could be on the way. Gray conditions aren't expected to lift until the weekend, said National Weather Service forecaster Bob Wimmer. Wimmer said there is a 70 percent chance of rain today, with the possibility of thunderstorms. But don't go thinking all your meteorological prayers have been answered. "No drought-busters just yet," Wimmer said of the rain expected this week. Copyright (c) 2001, The Palm Beach Post |