MULTI-HABITAT RESILIENCY PROJECT COMMENCES IN BREVARD COUNTY, FLA.

Project will restore shoreline and habitat at the Titusville Causeway

VIERA, Fla. and WINTER GARDEN, Fla., May 29, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, the Brevard County Natural Resources Management Department announced the official commencement of the Titusville Causeway Multi-Trophic Restoration And Living Shoreline Resiliency Action Project. This is the first project in the state of Florida that will combine multiple solutions across multiple habitats to create synergistic benefits to stop shoreline erosion caused by rising sea levels and wave energy, enhance resiliency against severe storms, improve water quality, enhance habitat in the Indian River Lagoon (IRL) for manatees, fish, horseshoe crabs, and other wildlife, and expand recreational use and enhanced rocket launch viewing areas along the southeast side of the Titusville Causeway.

The $4.2M project, which was designed by DRMP engineers and will be constructed by aquatic restoration experts Sea & Shoreline, includes removal of the existing shoreline rip rap, construction and deployment of nearly 2,000 linear feet of Living Shoreline Solutions, Inc.'s Wave Attenuation Device®s (WAD®s), planting of four-acres of seagrass and seeding with one million clams, planting 1.78-acres of living shoreline, and restoring and regrading of 4,150 cubic yards of sand on the shoreline.

According to Brevard County Commissioner Rita Pritchett, "The restored area will provide a beautiful and safe area for thousands of residents and visitors who visit the area annually to recreate and to watch launches from the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral."

Project stakeholders involved in designing, planning, permitting, funding, constructing, and monitoring the project are Brevard County Natural Resources Management Department, St. Johns River Water Management District, Florida Department of Environmental Protection, Senator Debbie Mayfield, DRMP engineers, Sea & Shoreline, Fish & Wildlife Foundation of Florida, Tourist Development Council, and Florida Power & Light.

According to Ryan Mitchell, P.E., of DRMP engineers, "Multitrophic richness has stronger positive effects on ecosystem services than richness in any individual trophic group. By combining multiple solutions across multiple habitats, the project will realize synergistic ecosystem benefits." For example, the WAD offshore breakwater devices are designed to counter erosion by attenuating wave energy, assisting in the reformation of the shoreline through sand accretion, while supporting seagrass growth and oyster attachment to enhance water quality, and creation of essential fish habitat.

The WADs will be installed in the water approximately 400-feet from the shoreline and will be visible approximately one-and-a half-feet above the water level at high tide. The WADs will include gaps for manatee passage and navigational lights for boater avoidance. Project completion is expected within 280 days and will be monitored for a three-year period.

Benefits include:

• Stopping and reversing erosion, and rebuilding and stabilizing the shoreline
• Enhancing the coastal resilience of the Titusville Causeway
• Expanding natural habitats within the IRL for manatees, horseshoe crabs, fish, and other wildlife
• Improving seagrass presence and overall water quality
• Boosting ecotourism
• Augmenting carbon sequestration

ABOUT BREVARD COUNTY

Brevard County is located on the east coast of central Florida and has a population of approximately 600,000 residents. The county reaches 72 miles from north to south and is home to 16 municipalities as well as the Kennedy Space Center and Patrick Space Force Base. For more information, please visit Brevardfl.gov, or follow us on Facebook, YouTube, and Instagram.

ABOUT SEA & SHORELINE

Sea & Shoreline is a Florida-based aquatic restoration firm that specializes in improving water quality and making our communities more resilient to the effects of climate change. Services include environmental dredging, seagrass/submerged aquatic vegetation restoration, natural stormwater filtration, oyster reefs, artificial reefs, living shorelines, wave attenuation devices, rip rap, vegetated retaining walls, wetland plantings, invasives control, project design, surveying, permitting, and funding. For more information, please visit seaandshoreline.com, or follow us on LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube.

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SOURCE Sea & Shoreline, LLC