Resident reports rapid north end erosion

Longbeach Village resident Gene Jaleski reported to Commissioner Phill Younger in an email Tuesday the North Shore Road beach access has lost 7-feet of beach width in the last four days.

Fewer than 8-feet of dry sand remains at the beach access, Jaleski reports.

The area of dry sand has decreased from 12-feet to 5-feet in width in four days, according to Jaleski.

“A seawall drop-off will soon be the only way to get past the groin for beach walkers,” Jaleski wrote in his email. “The north shore groin sand loss is accelerating.”

In less than two months, the shoreline near the North Shore Road beach access has lost approximately 5,000 cubic yards of sand that was placed in and around two groins built to stop the rapid flow of island sand from being dumped into Longboat Pass.

Younger credits the loss of sand to an engineering shortfall, while town staff claims the loss of sand is attributed to two stormy months from Mother Nature and a wait-and-see approach to the groins as the shoreline adjusts to the structures.

Younger wants the groins adjusted to stop the flow of sand that’s occurring underneath the structures and has requested the groins to be a Sept. 21 workshop agenda item.

Contact Kurt Schultheis at [email protected].