Beach Restoration in the Captiva Island, Florida area is extremely important!
Captiva beach restoration affects residents and visitors alike. There are over 400 miles of beach that have experienced critical levels of erosion in Florida, threatening environmental interests, cultural interests, recreational, and even developmental interests.
Some portions of this erosion have occurred due to natural forces and the short-sighted development of the coast. The construction of navigational inlets and jetties has especially deeply affected Florida’s beautiful beaches.
The maintenance and deepening of these inlets to increase commercial vessels, as well as recreational vessels, access to the mainland have been one of the main factors contributing to the beach’s destruction.
This artificial deepening of inlet channels and the construction of jetties to prevent sand from filling inlets disrupts sand from naturally flowing along the coastline and replenishing some beaches.
The prevention of beach erosion by Captiva beach restoration projects over the years has not only kept the islands natural beach territory pristine, but it also makes a buffer between the frequent storms that hit the island and the residents and visitors that stay there.
Enhancing the habitat of the wildlife so as to keep nature pristine and the wildlife safe.
How to Prevent Beach Erosion
Beach erosion can be stopped by several different means.
Typically sand can be accumulated offshore and piped onto a beach to rejuvenate the shoreline. Once the sand has been piped in, bulldozers can manipulate the new material in a way that best benefits the natural design of the beach.
Beach Nourishment Project
The Captiva Beach Nourishment Project has been in effect for over 60 years. Residents of Captiva have kept the project alive and this is apparent by the pristine maintenance of the natural beach features and shoreline.
The Captiva Erosion Prevention District is part of the program that has been instrumental in keeping Captiva beaches pristine and natural.
In 2019 the most recent efforts by the group were able to approve a bond of 18 million dollars in order to continue the nourishment program work.
This most recent generation of Captiva beach restoration provided for 900,000 cubic yards to be filled along the shoreline. The project was set to be finished about 5 to 6 months after the initial funding was granted and the restoration began to take place.
History of the Captiva Beach Nourishment Project
This imperative project goes back 60 years. In 2013 the Captiva Island beachline was extended by 783,369 cubic yards. The area was rehabilitated and hundreds of thousands of plants were planted along the shoreline native to the island.
In 2005 the project attempted to rectify a number of hurricane losses. That year, one million yards of the shoreline was renovated.
Before this, five other projects spanning all the way back to 1961 had been initiated. The cumulative number of cubic yards that were restored before the 2005 project was over three and a half million cubic yards of shoreline.
