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On Wednesday, the Army Corps represen- tatives said the project is the best way to address a situation that has only grown worse over the decades since the island was created by John Ringling in the 1920s. Smaller chan- nels were plugged in that process, they point out, and the marine landscape was altered. "By the 1950s, we have the current system we have inherited today. South Lido Key erodes," Mora said. "[Big Pass] is shifting towards north Siesta Key, and middle Siesta Key accretes and creates the Siesta beach we have now." "So today, it is no longer a natural system," Mora continued. "For a fact, Lido Key erodes, and Big Sarasota Pass pushes southward." Army Corps engineers say much of the sand placed on both Longboat Key and Lido Key over the years has ended up in the middle of Siesta near the public beach. They maintain that the new Lido project will not impede that southward flow of sand, a natural pattern for the west coast of Florida. There are two options for dredging Big Pass, Army Corps representatives explained. One would involve digging the current "ephem- eral" channel to a depth of 12 feet. Army Corps officials say that option will do the most to reduce some of the erosional forces exerted on north Siesta. Van Roekens asked the Army Corps represen- tatives what will happen if something goes wrong during the project. Milan Mora of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers makes a presentation to the Lido Key Residents Association on July 22. Sarasota News Leader July 25, 2014 Page 34