Dredging Contractors of America (DCA) Backs Offshore Wind Industry
The Dredging Contractors of America (DCA) firmly supports the expansion of a resilient offshore wind industry. William P. Doyle, CEO of the Dredging Contractors of America, expressed the organization’s commitment to collaborating with state and federal regulators on dredging operations associated with the burgeoning industry in the United States and along the U.S. East Coast. Various operational considerations are in focus, including the depth of cover over buried power lines, their trajectory through sand ‘borrow sites’ used for beach nourishment and coastal restoration, the crossing points under navigation channels, and the identification of exclusionary zones necessitating adjustments in dredging operations due to power line placement.
Dutra Group’s Coastal Restoration Projects in Brevard County, Florida
The Dutra Group recently concluded beach nourishment and coastal restoration projects in Brevard County, Florida, for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers at Patrick Space Force Base. This project involved the strategic placement of sand on the base and in the county’s Mid Reach and South Reach areas. The initiative contributes to broader storm protection and creates habitat for endangered sea turtles and threatened wildlife. The sand is sourced from Canaveral Shoals II, an offshore borrow site approximately five miles east of Cape Canaveral.
Of significance is that the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) collaborated with the Corps, Brevard County, and the U.S. Air Force 45th Space Wing to replenish portions of Brevard’s shoreline. Two separate agreements were signed between BOEM, the county, and the Corps, allowing up to 1.9 million cubic yards of sand from federal waters to construct three Brevard project segments located at Mid-Reach, South-Reach, and Patrick.