Gandy Beach pipeline construction to last another few weeks
Sunbathers hoping to enjoy the stretch of sand and mangroves at Gandy Beach in St. Petersburg will have to wait a little longer.
Construction on a gas pipeline expansion will continue to close off large portions of the area for the next few weeks, disrupting access on Independence Day, when many beachgoers flock to the shores west of the Gandy Bridge.
Installation of the pipeline began May 17 and is scheduled to be finished in mid-July, weather permitting. The Florida Gas Transmission Company is installing 1.3 miles of pipe to supply additional natural gas to MacDill Air Force Base, according to a statement from the company.
But the expansion, first proposed in November, is not without its critics. More than 100 people expressed concern during a public comment period by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, saying the project will harm the environment. In response, the commission reviewed the project before approving it in March.
Brooke Ward, a senior organizer with the environmental group Food & Water Watch, said the project is “concerning” due to its potential for polluting Tampa Bay and destroying wildlife habitats during the construction process.
She added that the long-term effects of expanding fossil fuel infrastructure in the area were even more worrisome.
“Until we move off of fossil fuels to power our region, we’re going to continue to see these projects come to our area and beyond,” Ward said. “It might impact us today in our ability to go to the beach, but it might impact us tomorrow in our access to clean water, clean air and bills to pay for these projects.”
Food & Water Watch asked the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission in January to analyze the cumulative and indirect effects of the project. In the report that followed, the commission said the expansion “will not result in a significant cumulative impact on environmental resources.”
In its statement, Florida Gas said it is coordinating with the Florida Department of Transportation and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service “to follow all environmental precautions.”
This is the second major construction project on Gandy Beach in recent years. Last summer, the Florida Department of Transportation installed large wooden posts on the beach to prevent cars from parking too close to the mangroves and curtail littering.
According to the agency, that project also entailed planting dozens of small mangroves to fill voids in the current habitat caused by vehicle parking. Currently, the plants are alive but need more time to fully root before they grow.
Wading in the water on June 13 in one of the alcoves along Gandy Beach, Amber Roberts, a visitor from nearby Davenport, said the construction wasn’t an issue for her because it was taking place farther down the beach.
“It’s nice and quiet,” she said.
While the rumblings of an excavator only occasionally punctuated the silence, the visual signs of the pipeline expansion were more obvious. Orange fencing and logs surrounded the site, with deep pits in the sand from construction vehicle tires.
And trash, which the wooden posts failed to eradicate, was plentiful. Neon green soda cans and Skittles wrappers dotted the sand. Some litter floated in the water in front of a patch of newly planted mangroves, so small that they have yet to fill a gaping hole looking out across the bay.
