By Murray Hendel, Linda Penniman and Dave Trecker

For the Collier Citizens Council

The January forum on beaches covered all of the bases: maintenance, funding, regulations. Experts debated options for controlling erosion. Sand sources, shoreline plantings and rock jetties were discussed. All aspects of funding were reviewed.

The question is, where do we go from there?

The Collier Citizens Council feels there are a number of steps that can and should be taken, sensible and affordable steps.

Here is a summary of the recommendations.

(1) Pursue truck hauling of quarry sand as the first option for future renourishment. The recent project was successful and cost-effective. Fears of traffic jams and hazards on city streets were overblown. There were no mishaps. The project went well, stayed on budget and finished on time. Its not a bad model for the future.

(2) As a second option, investigate putting a dredging company on retainer to lock in availability and cost. In spite of remote access sand might have to come from as far as 32 miles offshore dredging shouldnt be completely discounted. The key is to ensure sand can be provided at a set price when needed. A retainer might accomplish that.

(3) Investigate non-traditional approaches for controlling erosion. Specifically, run a pilot on passive dewatering, widely used along the North Sea to reduce sand loss. The procedure involves embedding perforated tubes under the beach surface to catch and drain water from incoming waves, reducing scouring when the waves recede.

According to EcoShore, a Danish firm that participated in the forum, a pilot could be run on 300 feet of beachfront over a period of three months at a cost of under $200,000. It is recommended the trial be monitored and evaluated by a local engineering company to ensure an unbiased assessment. It may be possible to get a government grant to cover costs.

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Guest column: THE CASE FOR OUR BEACHES