Erosion causes concern for beachfront condominiums in Palm Beach

Concerned residents of Palm Beach oceanfront condominiums told the Town Council this week that erosion is a growing concern — and Palm Beach staff say help is on the way, though not before hurricane season.

Representatives from two condominiums spoke to the council during Tuesday's meeting, saying properties on the town's South End were hit hard by massive waves that caused serious erosion from Feb. 6 into Feb. 7.

More: 'Some of their homes are in danger': Jupiter Inlet Colony closes beach as waves erode sand

Irwin Meisler, president of the Dorchester condominium association, showed council members photos of the drastic overnight changes and damage to the dune.

"We're now in a situation where if we don't do something, we could have a disastrous situation coming this summer, if we get a hurricane," he said.

The bulk of damage was done Feb. 6, when strong surf conditions carried out to sea not just sand from the shoreline, but also 20 of the Dorchester's blue-and-white striped lounge chairs, Meisler said.

The rough surf also left the condominium's beach staircase impassable, he said, sharing a photo that showed several feet of sand piled at the base of the stairs.

"Looking further down the beach, you can see it's not just us," Meisler said. "We need to do something."

Palm Beach wasn't the only place to be affected by recent strong surf conditions. Issues have been reported along Palm Beach County's coast, with some homes in Jupiter Inlet Colony seeing chunks of their backyards swept to sea, taking with them fences, landscaping and pieces of patios and pool structures. One home's pool now sits as if on stilts, perched precariously where it previously was nestled into the ground, surrounded by a patio and backyard.

While he called for swift action, Meisler acknowledged to the council that there are conditions that prevent the town from replenishing the sand right now. "But we've got to think about something, because this is going to become an emergency," he said.

Residents are struggling with the lack of staircase, and one woman had to crawl up the dune to get back to the condominium, Dorchester property manager Patricia Farrell told the council.

Public Works Director Paul Brazil agreed with Meisler, saying the town has a planned replenishment project in the works for fiscal year 2024-25, with sand to be placed in the area of the Dorchester starting between November of this year and January of next.

The work must be done outside of sea turtle season, which begins in March and continues through October, he said.

"What you're seeing is basically pre-project conditions," Brazil said, comparing the beach after last week's erosion to the beach before the most recent replenishment work.

"The sand that's lost isn't lost," he noted, adding that the sand will come back and this is "the roughest time of year" for erosion.

Residents just north of the Dorchester in the Enclave of Palm Beach Condo also recently contacted the town with concerns about last week's erosion, Brazil said. The town sent a consultant to examine conditions there and work with residents on what can be done until the replenishment begins, including how they can dig out their stairs to the beach, he said.

Brazil offered that to any condominium concerned about erosion. Most of the interim work will be related to beach access, he said, reinforcing that no sand can be placed until after sea turtle nesting season.

While the dunes have been eroded, they still provide good protection, Brazil said. The town will take emergency actions if erosion threatens a building, he said.

Shore Protection Board member Ronald Matzner, who lives in the Oasis condominium on the south end of town, noted that the issue gets worse the farther south the beach goes.

"Generally, there's less and less sand as you go south," he said. "If it looks so bad at Dorchester, you can imagine what it would be down at La Bonne Vie."

"I just want to make sure the funding is there and there's nothing to stop this from being done as soon as possible," Meisler told the council.

"There's nothing to stop it," council President Maggie Zeidman replied.

Search for sand is on

Later in Tuesday's meeting, the council unanimously approved a pair of items, including a nearly $1.7 million contract, that pave the way for work to begin to find sand for the town's replenishment projects.

A so-called "sand search" is necessary every few years to ensure the town has the sand it needs to replace what is lost to erosion, Brazil said.

The last search was conducted in 2011 and lasted about 13 years. Sand from that search is still available but will be depleted soon, he said.

Finding sand that can be used on the town's beaches and is just offshore is essential to beach nourishment projects, town staff wrote in a memo to the council.

"We believe we've identified the sand we're going to use," Brazil said.

Once the process begins, it takes "comfortably over a year to finish," he said, adding that there are steps that must be followed to ensure compliance with state and federal guidelines.

"It's not a surprise," he said of the need for sand. "We've seen it coming for years."

The firm hired by the town, Geosyntec Consultants Inc., has the same team members who led the last search, Brazil said. While that search netted "low-hanging fruit" in terms of sand, this time around will be more challenging, he said.

"It's a finite resource, and other communities, especially south of us, have completely depleted theirs," Brazil said.

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Daily News: Erosion causes concern for beachfront condominiums in Palm Beach