NEW SMYRNA BEACH, Fla. – A big sand replenishment project kicked off Wednesday in New Smyrna Beach, bringing relief to a stretch of beach badly affected by the 2022 hurricanes.
Thousands of yards of sand are being dumped from Sapphire Avenue down to nearly Bethune Beach, covering about 5 miles in the northern part of New Smyrna Beach just south of the inlet.
Volusia County is adding half a million cubic yards of sand to restore the beach area. The project took time to get state grant funding, design, and permits in place.
“It’s basically a dredge project where we’re transporting sand from a local DMMA, dredge material management area, called Rattlesnake Island, slurring and pumping it over here to the beach,” said Niles Cyzycki, construction manager for Volusia County’s Coastal Division.
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Cyzycki explained the project helps combat sea level rise and increased storm frequency.
“Maybe you’ll lose the berm you constructed, but the sand arrives down shore, down drift of the project and helps another section of beach. Any sand you can put on the beach, the ocean will re-sort it, but it jump starts the replenishment,” he said.
While locals appreciate the county’s efforts, some question if the project will hold up.
“Laying sand right on the beach as opposed to previously back in 2018 when they pumped it into the ocean and let it walk in, I think it’s to be seen whether it washes away with the first couple swells we have,” resident Lindsey Baldwin said.
Local surfer Jeremy Johnston also worries about the timeline, especially with spring break approaching and how many residents this project will help.
“There’s people who live right on the beach here who are the only ones that’ll benefit from this sand,” he said.
Johnston added, “There’s got to be other options than just, ‘Hey, let’s wait and see.’”
The construction is expected to take about 100 days.