The NewsRoom
Release: #3245
Date: April 25, 2005

Florida’s Jacksonville Area Beaches Get Help from MMS

JACKSONVILLE -Ten miles of Florida’s hurricane damaged Atlantic shoreline in the Jacksonville area are slated to be renourished with sand from the Federal Outer Continental Shelf.

The Minerals Management Service today signed an agreement with the City of Jacksonville to provide up to 1.5 million cubic yards of federal sand to beaches stretching from St. Johns River to the Duval County and St. Johns County line. The beaches sustained significant damage in 2004 during Hurricanes Charley, Frances and Jeanne.

"I am proud to say that this is the third beach restoration agreement MMS has signed with the State of Florida this year,” said MMS Director Johnnie Burton. “Helping to restore Florida’s beautiful shoreline following the devastating 2004 hurricane season is a prime example of government serving the public interest.” 

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will dredge the sand from a federal borrow site located 8 miles offshore Duval County, Florida, transport it to the project sites and hydraulically pump it from the dredge ship to the beach nourishment handling areas.

In January, MMS signed agreements to provide 2 million cubic yards of federal sand for restoration of Brevard County Beaches and 350,000 cubic yards of federal sand for restoration of beaches at Patrick Air Force Base.

Over a decade ago, MMS and coastal states recognized that sand resources from the OCS are a viable and critical source for protection of the nation’s shores and wetlands. The MMS established state cooperatives and identified over 2 billion cubic yards of OCS sand resources, and has conveyed more than 23 million cubic yards of sand for 16 shore protection projects.

Partnering with coastal states, MMS’s Marine Minerals Branch locates and characterizes OCS sand resources and conducts the environmental studies and analysis necessary to ensure that the sand can be removed without significant impact to the environment and match the sand type already on the beach.

In addition to Florida, MMS has cooperative agreements with Alabama, California, Delaware, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, North Carolina, South Carolina, Texas and Virginia.

MMS, a bureau of the U.S. Department of the Interior, oversees 1.76 billion acres of the Outer Continental Shelf, managing offshore energy and minerals while protecting the human, marine, and coastal environments through advanced science and technology research. The OCS provides 30 percent of oil and 23 percent of natural gas produced domestically, and sand used for coastal restoration. MMS collects, accounts for, and disburses mineral revenues from Federal and American Indian lands, with fiscal year 2004 disbursements of around $8 billion and more than $143 billion since 1982. The Land and Water Conservation Fund, which pays for acquisition of state and federal park and recreation land, gets nearly $1 billion a year.

Relevant Web Sites:
   MMS Main Website

Media Contacts:
   Nicolette Nye 703-787-1011

MMS: Securing Ocean Energy & Economic Value for America
U.S. Department of the Interior
 

Privacy | Disclaimers | Accessibility | Topic Index | FOIA