Reef mitigation nears finish line off Melbourne

MELBOURNE BEACH, Fla. (FOX 35 ORLANDO) - The beach is a big attraction along the Space Coast, but we all know that, over time, Mother Nature takes chunks of it away.  

Pumping sand onto the beach to bolster it back up again might negatively impact the reef just off shore. The News Station has an update on the project that addresses both problems. The installation of the artificial reef will be done later this summer, “probably August,” according to Brevard county officials.

The county is spending more than $10 million dollars to mitigate the damage that will occur when they start dredging underwater sand and sending it onto the beaches.

Fisherman and conservationists have long expressed concerns the reef marine life won’t bounce back. Reefs are home to sea worms -- that’s what fish eat. Sea turtles live among the reefs.

“But we are confident it will serve its purpose for hosting local species,” said Mike McGarry, Brevard County’s Beach Project Coordinator.

This prelude to the beach rehab operation began back in 2017.