Indian River Inlet beach replenishment project delayed

Mechanical difficulties are holding up annual operations to rebuild the north side of the Indian River Inlet beach. 

Repairs have been made to the system, which was down for several weeks starting in mid-September.  The crane and water-intake system are now back in operation, dropping about 2,000 cubic yards of sandy material daily onto the eroded dunes and beach.  An inspection determined that Route 1 and the Indian River Inlet Bridge construction project are not adversely affected by the erosion.  Construction on the new bridge is nearing completion.  According to the Department of Natural Resources, the northside beach is more vulnerable to erosion than the south, which has a protective jetty.  DNREC officials believe that “with favorable weather conditions the dune system and beach profile will be rebuilt to near-normal levels within two weeks.”