TITUSVILLE, Fla. – The groundbreaking of a transformative project designed by DRMP to restore the shoreline and protect wildlife habitat in the Indian River Lagoon marks a major milestone.
Last week, the Brevard County Natural Resources Management Department along with Sea & Shoreline, aquatic restoration experts, broke ground on the $4.2 million Titusville Causeway Multi-Trophic Restoration and Living Shoreline Resiliency Action Project. This innovative project is the first of its kind in Florida, and DRMP is honored Brevard County chose our firm as the prime design consultant. Sea & Shoreline will construct the project.
The project uses various techniques to combat shoreline erosion, strengthen storm resiliency, improve water quality, enhance wildlife habitats for manatees, fish, horseshoe crabs, and other wildlife in the lagoon, and create improved recreational spaces. Additionally, it enhances viewing opportunities for rocket launches along the southeastern Titusville Causeway.
“This project is an example of how innovation and environmental stewardship can go hand in hand,” said Ryan Mitchell, PE, DRMP’s Cary, N.C., Office Leader and Drainage Project Manager. “We’ve integrated innovative techniques to create a sustainable and resilient shoreline that will benefit both the ecosystem and the local community. Witnessing the start of construction is incredibly rewarding, and we’re excited to see the long-term positive impacts this project will bring to the Indian River Lagoon.”
A key feature of the project is the placement of 648 Wave Attenuation Devices (WADs) along the shoreline. The devices are designed to reduce wave energy generated by severe storms and protect coastal shoreline and infrastructure. The WADs also trap heavy sediment and promote seagrass restoration.
In the Lagoon, a vast stretch of water serves as a long wave fetch, generating waves that crash against the shoreline, causing considerable damage. Though winds cannot be controlled, the WADs effectively diminish the force of coastal waves driven by wind, ensuring minimal wave height. Analysis using a Wave Wind Model during the device's initial design revealed a 90 percent reduction in wave energy reaching the shoreline under typical conditions. This reduction will facilitate the recovery, restoration, and long-term resilience of the shoreline.
The project entails removing riprap from the current shoreline, constructing and installing nearly 2,000 linear feet of WADs, planting 4 acres of seagrass, seeding with one million clams, establishing 1.78 acres of living shoreline, and restoring and regrading 4,150 cubic yards of sand along the shoreline.
In our efforts to safeguard the shoreline, DRMP implemented significant measures throughout the planning and design phases to mitigate impacts on surface water and benthic resources. Notably, WADs, being hollow, have minimal impact on the Lagoon's seabed compared to traditional structures, such as jetties or stone breakwaters.
Successfully navigating complex environmental regulations and gaining support from multiple stakeholder agencies posed significant challenges for this project.
“With all the different aspects of in-water work, it was challenging to get the agencies on board and meet all of their requirements, but we finally proved to them that this would be a beneficial and environmentally significant project that they wanted to be part of implementing,” said DRMP Senior Ecologist Shanda Ryer, who saw the project through final design and permitting. “I am excited to see the project be constructed and look forward to documenting the anticipated improvements.”
In addition to DRMP, the project stakeholders participating in the designing, planning, permitting, funding, construction, and monitoring of the project include the Brevard County Natural Resources Management Department, Sea & Shoreline, the St. Johns River Water Management District, the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, Florida Sen. Debbie Mayfield, R-Indialantic, the Fish & Wildlife Foundation of Florida, the Tourist Development Council, and Florida Power & Light.
About DRMP
DRMP is a multi-discipline firm serving clients in the public, private and industrial sectors in the development of infrastructure and has been in business since 1977. DRMP currently employs 700 professionals in 24 office locations spread strategically across our service area. Today, DRMP is ranked among Engineering News-Record’s “Top 500 Design Firms” in the United States. For more information, please visit www.drmp.com.
