Upham Beach erosion rate raises concerns

By SHEILA MULLANE ESTRADA

© St. Petersburg Times, published July 23, 2000

ST. PETE BEACH -- Upham Beach, recent recipient of 321,000 cubic yards of renourishment sand at a cost of more than $2-million, has eroded by nearly 100 feet in some areas in the last six weeks.

Pinellas County Coastal Coordinator Jim Terry said the erosion is an expected "planned adjustment" by tidal forces resculpting the man-made beach to a natural slope. He said the rate of erosion should slow, stabilizing the rebuilt beach -- at least until the next major storm.

"It is in the process of eroding away and this doesn't surprise anybody, I'm sure. It's not quite as disastrous as what it appears," Terry said. "There is a nice-looking beach out there now."

Starlight Tower resident Dr. Hugh McGuigan fears differently. "We have a very serious problem and you ought to know the enormity of the situation," he told the City Commission Tuesday. He is worried the beach might not last until the next scheduled renourishment, planned for 2002.

On June 2, Starlight Tower had 171 feet of beach between it and the Gulf of Mexico, McGuigan said. By Tuesday, that beach had shrunk to 119 feet, he said. The beach in front of the snack stand measured 574 feet on June 2; by Tuesday, it had narrowed to 483 feet. McGuigan said his condominium complex "needs the sand for protection."

A similar renourishment project four years ago disappeared within a 10-month period, McGuigan said. During a subsequent storm, 7-foot waves crashed against his building. The lack of a protecting beach also resulted in damage to the complex swimming pool and flooded ground-floor units, he said.

"We had zero beach," McGuigan said. "The only thing that is going to work in the future is groins or jetties." A groin is a low barrier of rock, concrete or timber to prevent or slow erosion. A jetty is a breakwater, wharf or pier, usually built to protect a harbor.

Upham is one of the most unstable beaches along Florida's Gulf Coast, say coastal geologists. Experts have said the steady erosion is caused partly by the high level of development along the beach that blocks natural deposits of sand.

One alternative is to install groins or underwater rock jetties that may reduce the rate of erosion. But many experts, including the Department of Environmental Protection, say groins would aggravate beach erosion to the south by blocking sand that normally would be redeposited along the length of St. Pete Beach.

Mayor Ward Friszolowski told McGuigan that both the city and the county would like to install groins, but the DEP is blocking a permit requested by the county. "The problem is at the state level," Friszolowski said.

"We haven't given up on it," said Commissioner Jim Myers.

The DEP has made no ruling on the permit and, Terry said, has asked the county to submit additional documentation -- at a cost of up to $200,000 -- or withdraw the permit. The county is refusing to pull its application.

"The county is not going to invest in something that is so nebulous that the state indicates it will not approve," Terry said. "The DEP has made it quite clear that they will not allow extensive structures on Upham Beach."

Terry says the fight is now up to the city: "We have exhausted every effort. The DEP is just not interested in this type of project," he said.

Short of installing groins, a "measured renourishment schedule" is the most "cost-effective" way of safeguarding the beaches,said Terry. Renourishment benefits tourism and protects property values and the city and county tax base, he said.

Since 1975, about $7.7-million in county, state and federal funds have been spent to maintain Upham Beach. The current Upham and Treasure Island renourishment project cost about $4-million, Terry said, and will have to be repeated about every 2 years. The cost is shared by the county (hotel room taxes), the state (real estate tax stamps) and the federal government.

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