Town Commission will soon consider options to stabilize the shoreline at the North End

Bob Bunting is confident about what is needed to address long-term erosion on Greer Island, also known as Beer Can Island.

The 360 North resident and former National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration official says the two sand-saving groins constructed just south of Greer near North Shore Road in 2015 are not enough. 

“We’ve got two-thirds of a solution,” Bunting said.

Bunting said a third groin could impede erosion on the “island,” which is actually connected to Longboat Key by a sliver of land. Recently, the area has been experiencing overwash during heavy storms.

These events have raised concerns for a potential breach, which could open the flow of water between the Key and Greer, making Greer unreachable to pedestrians and possibly subjecting residences at Longboat’s northern tip to wave action, which  could cause damage to structures.

At last week’s Town Commission meeting, commissioners approved a budget transfer of nearly $400,000 to the North End Shoreline Stabilization Project, an effort to address erosion on and near Greer Island.

The funds, which were left over from previous construction projects in the beach budget, will be used to determine the feasibility of an immediate short-term solution, as well as developing a long-term plan for the area. In this case, “long-term” means decades or longer.

Town staff will work with Olsen Associates Inc., the Key’s coastal engineer, to determine possible courses of action, then present these options to the Town Commission for consideration. Along with the possibility of a third groin, “alternative technologies” will also be considered, including Sandsavers and Geo Tubes, which are buried offshore and designed to hold sand on the shoreline.

As for long-term solutions, Bunting said a third groin is the best option. 

He allowed that some combination of other technologies may be less expensive, but he doesn’t think it would be as effective as a groin. Anything else would need to be backed by science.

“If someone tells me there’s a 90% chance of rain, I’m going to bring my umbrella,” Bunting said. “If it’s going rain on Longboat Key, I want to make sure we have a good umbrella.”

Although a third groin was initially proposed with the two near North Shore Road, the prospect was delayed after Manatee County challenged the plan. In a 2014 settlement, the town agreed not to begin permitting for the third groin until 2019, in return for construction of the other two.

Public Works Director Juan Florensa said the shoreline at the north end of the Key is reacting the way engineers said it would without a third groin, but he emphasized the importance of considering all options for the upcoming stabilization project.

“We want to get this done right,” Florensa said.

For example, an alternative that will be explored is a rubble-mound breakwater, similar to a jetty, Florensa said.

Florensa expects stabilization options will be presented to the Town Commission within the next several months, and the town will be able to apply for the project’s permit in about a year.

Bunting, who says he’s an environmentalist, hopes those who advocated to have construction of the third groin delayed will take note of the erosion occurring on Greer Island, which he said is causing a loss of wildlife refuge and sea turtle habitat.

“It’s hard for turtles to lay eggs on a beach that doesn’t exist,” Bunting said.