After years of red tape, Hernando Beach dredging project under way

In the works for more than a dozen years, the Hernando Beach channel dredge project has gotten under way in recent weeks, as representatives of the company hired to do the work begin to mobilize forces.

The financial, environmental and legal issues that mired the project in red tape for years will soon begin to fade from memory, replaced with the anticipation of a wider, longer, deeper boating thoroughfare.

When the project is finished, the 3-mile channel will be 6 feet deep at mean low water, 60 feet wide, reach as far as Watts Tower and be rid of the troubling blind curve at the channel's eastern end.

Initial work has focused on preparing the old county wastewater treatment plant site on Shoal Line Boulevard, which is where the contractor will pipe the dredged sand spoils. Pipes also have been installed to accomplish that task.

Starting soon, a company called Seagrass Recovery will begin work on several projects to restore seagrass, including repair to seagrass riddled with propeller scars in an area between Jenkins Creek and Bayport, areas that later will be restricted for motor boats.

Those tasks are mitigation for seagrass that will be adversely affected when the channel is lengthened and are required as part of the county's state and federal dredging permits.

The actual dredging is scheduled to begin within the next month; the anticipated completion date is in February.

The channel is expected to remain open throughout the work, although there may be some delays as the dredge equipment is operated, officials have said.

The total cost of the project will top $7.7 million, including the contractor, the consultant, a special attorney, costs to settle a legal challenge, staff work and other expenses. Two-thirds of that will come from the state, with the county kicking in one-third.

Barbara Behrendt, Times Staff Writer