Page 1 - PGA Community News - March '21

VOL. 31 NO. 3 FAX 561-624-9088 • E-MAIL canpga@yahoo.com MARCH 2021

Commissioner’s Update

Shoreline Protection Projects
Move Forward

By County Commissioner
Maria Marino
If you have visited our
beautiful beaches lately
in Juno Beach and at the
south end of Jupiter, you
may have wondered what’s
going on with all the dump
trucks, bulldozers, large
pipes and machinery.
This is what beach beach and replace much of what was lost from Hurricane Not to let those beautiful shells go to waste,
renourishment looks like. Irma. The expectation is that the wave action over the Environmental Resources Management has provided a
Officially, it is called Segment III of the North County coming months will move much of it into the natural beach shell pile for the public’s picking in the main parking lot
Comprehensive Shore Protection Project, and is designed slope nearshore and replenish adjacent beaches. of Carlin Park on the east side of A1A. Their research
to address this State of Florida-designated “critically Sand that is borrowed offshore approximately 1.7 miles indicates that most of the shells are likely hundreds of years
eroded” area. Ongoing erosion has the long-term potential northeast of the Jupiter Inlet is pumped onto the dry beach old. A majority of the 13,000 cubic yards of shell expected
to threaten A1A, infrastructure, and beach habitat during through huge metal pipes. Project contractor Great Lakes to be removed during the project will be beneficially
severe storms, so massive amounts of sand are being added Dredge & Dock is utilizing a large machine patented by reused on other sensitive county environmental projects
to the coastal system to act as an environmentally sensitive local subcontractor Fluidized Rock Systems, which takes the such as creation of bird nesting habitat and improvement
buffer that will mitigate future storm impacts. dredge material from the pipes and separates the larger shells of natural areas’ trails.
The project location consists of the shoreline from from the sand. While shells on the beach are natural, Palm Construction work has been performed 24 hours per
a mile north to 1.4 miles south of the Juno Pier in the Beach County’s environmental scientists advise that the sea day, seven days a week, and involved extensive outreach
towns of Jupiter and Juno Beach. It was first nourished turtles that nest along our coasts have more of a challenge efforts to the neighboring residents along the coast. The
with offshore sand in 2001, and renourished in 2010. digging through sand material that is too dense with shells. timing of the project (November to February) was done
This project, which is nearing completion, calls for Since one of the benefits of the project is to protect and restore
approximately 969,600 cubic yards of sand to refill the critical habitat, this machinery is helping to meet a vital need. Commissioner’s Update on page 10
Northern Notes

The Dry Season

By Katie Roundtree,
Finance Director,
Northern Palm Beach
County Improvement
District
One uncontrollable
factor affecting Northern
services more than any
other is the weather.
Warmer temperatures in
the summer months create
the potential for increased
amounts of rain, flooding and chances of hurricanes. April 2021, which encompasses most of the area’s dry characterized by a jet stream which is displaced farther
Cooler temperatures in the winter months typically season. north over North America, leading to most winter and
mean dryer air, less rain and canals and lakes with lower The National Weather Service has forecast that La spring low pressure storm tracks staying north of Florida.
water levels. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Niña conditions will likely persist throughout the dry The jet stream being farther north can also limit the
Administration (NOAA) forecasts a drier than normal season. La Niña is the cold-water phase of the ENSO (El number of cold air outbreaks into Florida, although a
pattern in south Florida with slightly warmer than average Niño Southern Oscillation) cycle and is characterized by few strong outbreaks of Arctic origin can still occur with
temperatures for the period from November 2020 through a cooling of waters in the central and eastern equatorial freezing temperatures primarily over interior sections of
Pacific waters. This the peninsula. This could lead to water management issues
cooling of the equatorial as well as an increased risk of wildfires in the spring.
Pacific to below normal A warmer and drier than normal winter and dry season
values affects large scale decreases the likelihood and frequency of severe weather
weather systems across events such as tornadoes, flooding, strong winds and
all of North America. The hail, but does not totally eliminate them. During the La
main impact of La Niña Niña of 2016/2017, three tornadoes were observed in
in Florida is typically a southeast Florida during January and March. Also, as
very dry and less stormy noted previously, a few strong cold snaps and freezes
winter and early spring. La
Niña winters are typically Northern Notes on page 2