BEACH EROSION COMMITTEE

Minutes of committee meeting on July 7, 1999

  1. Impacts Included:

    2. Beach Erosion

    Beneficial Use Of Dredged Materials

    Cumulative Impacts From Previous Dredgings

    Additional Benefits In The Community

  2. Attendees:

    3. Larry Keegan, Bo Ellis, William Bailey, Stuart Stevens, Chris Schuberth, Bill Farmer

    Guests:

    Charles Griffen, Erik Olsen

  3. The Beach Erosion Committee considered what action would be appropriate in response to the following:
    1. On June 8, 1999 the SEG recommended to the GPA that a Scope Of Work (SOW) reflected in the "Proposed Beach Erosion Study For The Savannah Harbor Expansion Project" be accomplished, recognizing that the Corps of Engineers would provide technical review comments on the proposed study.
    2. A June 9th memorandum by the COE provided 13 technical comments "…that should be addressed before the Corps could consider the SOW to be technically adequate."
    3. Erik Olsen, consultant to the City of Tybee Island, expressed concern that the SOW was not clear as to whether it included historic-cumulative analysis of the changes in the area, especially for the sediment budget, or merely would accomplish a predicted-incremental analysis.
    4. There was concern expressed that "peer participation and peer review" was recommended by the committee, and documented in the meeting minutes, but that "peer participation and peer review" is not specifically mentioned in the Proposed Study, and therefore this aspect of the study might be overlooked.
    5. A rough-order-of-magnitude "Dredge Material Cost Assessment" was completed, indicating that there is sufficient merit to have a more comprehensive analysis made of the potential for modifying channel dredging practices to cause dredge material placement near Tybee Island for beneficial use of dredged materials, instead of disposing of dredged materials from the river entrance area into the Jones-Oysterbed Island Disposal Area and the ODMS.
  1. In response to these factors, the following was decided:
    1. Instead of developing a revised Proposed Beach Erosion Study for reconsideration by the SEG, the GPA and its consultants (including two BEC members) would develop a "Task Statement" for purposes of contracting that would reflect/incorporate the following:
    1. The SEG recommended "Proposed Beach Erosion Study For The Savannah Harbor Expansion Project".
    2. The 13 COE technical comments on the Proposed Study.
    3. Increased clarity regarding the Study including both a historical-cumulative analysis as well as including a predicted-incremental analysis of variables, forces, effects, etc., especially with regards to the sediment budget for the area.
    4. Peer participation and peer review.
    1. Prior to finalization of the new Task Statement, review drafts would be provided to the Beach Erosion Committee for comment, etc. The BEC would keep the SEG informed through normal committee reports so as to support the SEG’s monitoring responsibilities, supplementing GPA’s reports to the SEG.
    2. Stuart Stevens, of GADNR, would communicate to the COE District Engineer, the results of the rough-order-of-magnitude "Dredge Material Cost Assessment", indicating that a more comprehensive analysis should be undertaken on channel dredging practices since considerable cost savings might be possible by changing harbor dredging/disposal practices.
  1. In addition to decisions made, the following information was provided:
    1. Stuart Stevens informed the other BEC members and Charles Griffen of the GPA, that he would rely heavily on the advice of Erik Olsen regarding the clarity, adequacy, etc., of the new Task Statement for the Beach Erosion Study.
    2. Charles Griffen indicated the GPA is working with its consultants and the COE technical staff to develop a Task Statement to accomplish a comprehensive Beach Erosion Study that will have peer participation and peer review, that drafts of the Task Statement would be provided to the BEC for comment, etc, and that the BEC and the SEG would be kept informed as the process continued.