Two and a half years after Hurricane Ian barreled through Southwest Florida, Collier County finally has the easements in place to complete emergency berm work on some beach areas in Port Royal.
Collier County commissioners in February awarded a $1.18 million contract to Fort Myers-based Earth Tech Enterprises to haul the sand needed to complete the last remaining 1.8 miles of the nearly 14-mile Collier Emergency Berm project. Most of the work, which ran from Marco Island to Barefoot Beach, was completed in 2023.
The berm will replace the dunes destroyed by the Category 4 storm. Those dunes helped protect homes, businesses and other commercial property just beyond the beach from storm surge and flooding.
Hurricane Ian destroyed Collier dunes and vegetation
“Hurricane Ian and its associated storm surge caused major damage to Collier County beaches, destroying much of the dunes and vegetation at the landward edge of the beach,” according to the staff report to Collier commissioners. “The loss of the dunes left already damaged beachfront properties vulnerable to flooding from future tropical storms and winter cold fronts.”
What is a berm?
A berm can be created with vegetation or just sand. An emergency sand berm like Collier County’s is meant to protect against added damage from a five-year flood, according to the Florida Division of Emergency Management. They are “not intended to permanently restore the beach; they are intended only to provide protection from immediate threats.
Why has it taken so long?
A majority of the emergency berm work was completed, however “a few property owners had not completed the paperwork needed that allowed crews to access the beach areas beyond their property. Those easements have now been obtained,” said Connie Dean, Collier County public information coordinator II, operations & performance management.
When will the work begin?
Crews are planning to start around the end of March/early April, as soon as a beach renourishment project is completed in the area, Dean said.
How long will it take?
Once the work begins it is expected to be completed in three weeks or possibly less, weather permitting, Dean said. After that, dune plantings will be added a few weeks after the sand placement is completed, and both projects are expected to be finished in early May.
Where is the work being done and what is the scope?
Work will be between markers R79 to R80. Earth Tech will bring the approximately 45,000 tons of sand purchased by Collier County from Stewart Mine in Immokalee.
When was Hurricane Ian and how much damage did it do?
Hurricane Ian made landfall at Cayo Costa Sept. 28, 2022, as a Category 4 storm with maximum sustained winds of 150 mph. Ian pushed a storm surge of 15 feet above ground level into southwest Florida, resulting in record inundation of coastal locations, especially Sanibel Island and Fort Myers…