The City of Naples celebrated Earth Day in a big way this year – by contributing pier wreckage to an artificial reef off the coast. Instead of going to a landfill, 59 concrete pilings — totaling over 300 tons — from the demolished pier were added to the Wasmer Reef site, approximately 10 miles offshore in the Gulf.
The Naples Pier has been closed since 2022 during Hurricane Ian. Approximately 140 feet of the pier ended up sitting in the bottom of the Gulf and another 460 feet of the pier was significantly damaged. The rest was deemed structurally unsafe for visitors.
Last month’s move marked a milestone in recovery efforts from the storm, according to a press release on the city’s website.
This is the eighth reef to be created within the site, which “hosts corals, aquatic vegetation, invertebrates, bivalves, and tunicates that provide refuge and food for juvenile and mature fish species alike.”
The relocation was a joint effort by the city of Naples, as well as Pier rebuild contractors Shoreline Foundation, Inc, environmental engineers Turrell, Hall & Associates and the Army Corps of Engineers…