More sand on the way for Duval County beaches

JACKSONVILLE BEACH, Fla. — Georgeanne Chastain and her husband have lived in Jacksonville Beach for at least 20 years. Being just a short walk away from the shore has its obvious benefits, but it also has a downside.

“One year when we had the bad storm, it came up here so the house got a little flooded but thank God we didn't have any damage,” said Chastain.

Making sure storm water doesn’t reach too far inland is a priority for Chastain and her neighbors, it’s why she’s glad more sand is on the way.

Army Corps of Engineers Project Manager Jason Harrah is gearing up to start the process of placing more sand on the beach.

“Essentially what we will be doing is placing about 700,000 cubic yards of sand on critically eroded beaches on Atlantic, Neptune and Jacksonville beaches,” said Harrah.

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The project will cover a 7-mile stretch.

“It's a manmade beach, so as for coastal resiliency, essentially the storms eat away at the beach over time,” said Harrah.

The project price is about $13.5 million, funded both locally and federally.

Chastain said it’s a necessity.

“It's kind of a must, otherwise we don't have a nice beach anymore,” said Chastain.

The Army Corps of Engineers said the sand that will be used on the beach is being brought in from federal waters about 6-7 miles off the coast.

According to Harrah, the actual work to pump the sand in will start after Labor Day and will finish around early November.

Cox Media Group