Issue link: https://newsleader.uberflip.com/i/332945
Although stretches of Lido Beach have been eroding for decades, the debate over how to approach the problem will not be dissolving soon. A long-anticipated report released by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers last week concluded that a plan to dredge 1.3 million cubic yards of sand f r o m t h e B i g P a s s ebb shoal will not n e g a t i v e l y c h a n g e the shoal, alter wave action or affect "sediment transport pathways that deliver sediment to downdrift beaches (Siesta Key)." The Army Corps wants to use that dredged sand to buffer a 1.6-mile stretch of Lido Beach. That action is the pri- mary component of a proposed $19-mil- lion project to keep sand on a beach that has become critically eroded, according to state environmental officials, especially at Lounge chairs sit at an angle on South Lido Beach because of the shore's erosion. Photo courtesy Cindy Shoffstall SHIFTING SANDS A LONG-ANTICIPATED U.S. ARMY CORPS OF ENGINEERS REPORT RELEASED LAST WEEK DOES LITTLE SO FAR TO QUELL THE DEBATE OVER A PLAN TO DREDGE PARTS OF BIG PASS We have standard monitoring for all of our projects, and we are assuming that additional monitoring will be required for this project. Milan Mora Project Manager U.S. Army Corps of Engineers By Roger Drouin County Editor