Sunset Island Restoration Project - Design and Permitting

The Sunset Island Restoration Project will provide an alternate dredged material disposal site for the Army Corps of Engineers when they dredge the Gulf ICW west of the Theo Baars Bridge. The current permitted dredged material site is along the shoreline of residential properties on the south side of the ICW and is not ideal. The beneficial use of dredged material on Sunset Island will connect and expand the existing remnant islands on the south side of the ICW (south of the Galvez Boat Ramp) to provide a larger recreational human use area and a designated protected bird habitat area. A segmented rock offshore breakwater, or similar structure, will be constructed along the northern side of the islands (between the islands and the ICW) to reduce wave energy and erosion of the islands. Deeper submerged areas on the south side of the islands will be filled with dredged material, when the Corps dredges the ICW again, to bring the submerged elevations up to the photic zone to support submerged aquatic vegetation and emergent marsh vegetation. An educational underwater snorkeling trail will be established to enhance human use of the area. The stockpiled dredged material on the newly created islands could be beneficially used for future beach nourishment projects or living shoreline projects. The design and permitting for this proposed project will prepare the site for the next scheduled dredging of the ICW by the Corps of Engineers.