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FROM: Anonymous Why did SICA not take a stand against taking our offshore sand to place on Palm Beach? This sand protects us during storms. You have the nerve to include this in your newsletter as good? Shame on you Reply: As a founding member of the Protect our Beaches coalition, SICA continues its commitment to finding a permanent, ecologically-sound solution to protecting our beaches and dunes from erosion. Please see below explanation/update from Daniel Bates, Deputy Director, Palm Beach County Department of Environmental Resources Management: From the shoreline of Singer Island, it appears to many that the dredge ships are working right off the beach, but they are actually working nearly a half a mile offshore at a depth of more than 35 feet. That depth is considered seaward of the active beach profile, where wave action moves sand onshore, offshore and longshore in its slow progression to the south. As such, the dredging will have no adverse impact on the supply of sand to Singer Island's beach. Storm wave protection beyond the dry beach is provided primarily by the nearshore rock outcrops (hardbottom) and the nearshore sand bars that migrate within the active beach profile. I should also point out that sand dredged from the state submerged lands off Singer Island has also been used to nourish the beaches in Jupiter and Juno Beach. That sand is now moving south, back to Singer Island.
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