Beer Can Island accessible again via Canal 1A

Canal 1A on the north end of Longboat Key is traversable again. 

The latest maintenance dredging of Longboat Key’s Greer Island Spit Management Project officially wrapped up on Sept. 7. 

About 19,000 cubic yards of sand were dredged from the canal and relocated to the groin field toward the end of North Shore Road. 

The now dredged canal also allows for boat owners to freely navigate to the Gulf and restores their riparian rights.

According to Public Works Program Manager Charlie Mopps, the project had just about wrapped up before Hurricane Idalia made its way towards Florida’s coast.

The crew was in the process of demobilization and doing some final surveys, which showed the dredging was near completion. 

But throughout the course of the project, Mopps said there were some challenges the team needed to overcome. 

“I’m not going to say that it was easy, but it wasn’t as difficult as it could be,” Mopps said.

First was a delay in the project due to wildlife.

A colony of terns, a type of shorebird, and sea turtles nested on the island. The crew had to wait for the birds to leave and the turtle eggs to hatch before moving forward with the vegetation removal to start the project. 

Another hurdle was an old abandoned power line that Mopps said caused some confusion. Originally, it was a concern because it may have been in the dredging field. But after many conversations, the crew realized that it was a remnant of a power line from a while ago, and that it would not be an issue. 

A couple times throughout the dredging, Mopps said the dredge exceeded the project’s turbidity allowance. Turbidity measures the cloudiness of the water due to particles. 

To fix this, Mopps said the crew had to stop and let the water settle before continuing the dredge. 

Under normal conditions, Mopps said that, with the sand being relocated to the groins, the project should lengthen the time in between required maintenance dredging. 

“Because of the groins that are in place, it has definitely lengthened the periods between the time we have to do maintenance dredging,” Mopps said. “However when you have storm events, all bets are off.”