Resolution 137-1979
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RESOLUTION # 137-79
WHEREAS, the BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS of MONROE County,
Florida, approved an application for Kris Karelius on August 3, 1978,
for the construction of Rip-rap, docking, and maintenance dredging
and,
WHEREAS, the Department of Environmental Regulation pursuant
to Section 253.124, Florida Statutes, requires that before a State
Permit can be issued that a Biological Assessment made by DER be
read into the Minutes of the County Commission.
NOW THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the following Biological
Assessment be read into the Minutes of the County Commission and
approved by that same body.
The applicant proposes to maintenance dredge an entrace channel
to a boat basin to a depth of -5 ft., MLW. This access channel would
be 105' x 30' wide with sloped sides. The basin would be dredged to
-5' MLW, be limited to the area between an existing and proposed dock
and for 25' to the south of the docks. The dimensions of the basin
would be approximately 100 x 110' with an additional area about
25 x 25' on the SE corner of the basin outside the existing dock.
Spoil resulting from this dredging would total 2300 cubic yards.
A wood dock 175' long x 4' wide with 2 - 25' long fingers to the east
would be constructed west of the existing main dock and out from a
rebuilt shoreline. This proposed dock would be supported on wood
pilings and be 1000 sq. ft. of surface area.
The applicant also proposed to rebuild the eroded exposed shoreline for
a distance of about 300'. Rip-Rap would be placed a maximum of 15'
out from MHW and would have a 3:1 slope on the waterward edge. This
rip-rap and 500 yards of backfill would join two existing points of
land on either side of the projecting property and serve to straighten
the eroded portion of the shoreline. The applicant states in the
revision both that clean fill will be used but also that dredged spoil
will be deposited landward of the rip-rap.
The project is located on Grassy Key which is well developed, and on
the oceansite of U.S. #1, by various commercial establishments and
homes. Grassy Key is generally low ground, the interior being
extensive wetlands that, under present laws, could not be developed.
Substrate throughout the area is caprock that has an over-layer of
rock fill in some areas or thin organic matter in other areas. The
predominant types of vegetation are: Black mangrove (Avicennia
germinans), red mangrove (Rhizophora man~le), ornamental coconut palms
and Brazilian pepper (Schinus terebinthi olius) on disturbed, but
undeveloped land.
Uplands of the project site are occupied by a cluster of buildings for
the resort complex. Between the complex of buildings and the high
water line is a man-made sand beach. The beach ends abruptly at the
high water weed line. The intertidal zone was made up of sand, rock
rubble and some settled organic detritus. Vegetation was limited to
several types of algae Cladophoropsis sp. being the most abundant but
Batophora sp., Acetabularia sp. and Penicillus ap. also present. The
gastropod Batillaria spp. was found in large numbers among the rock
APPROVED ON ~ - \ '\ - 'I q
BOOK .' T .~ .,.....,.,.., PAGE 0 Ll5
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Biological Assessment(cont'd)
Page 2
rubble as were small hermit crabs. Below the low tide line, at western
end of the property, the vegetation remained sparse, consisting of
some Batophora sp., Acetabularia sp. and Penicillus sp. but was
primarily a despoition of mud and silt for a distance of approximately
5 feet below low water. Toward the middle of the property the sea grass
Halodule sp. became established just below the low water line then the
graded into Thalassia seaward, as sediments became more firm. From
approximately the mid-point of the property to the east, the subtidal
zone was unvetated mud and silt. This was about a 2-feet deep
accumulation in an old basin that extended slightly beyond the dock.
An access channel, 75 feet wide, that extended an additional 330 feet
has the same mud-silt substrate that was well established with Halodule
wri~htii. Sampling by net in the Halodule sp. grass produced a number
of 1ndividuals and several different species of shrimp, many amphipods
and polychaetes, hermit crabs, crabs (Callinectes sp.) and several
species of gastropods. Observed, but probably transient in the grass
area were horseshoe crab and a school of pilchards. The areas adjacent
on both sides of the proposed dredge site has a substrate grading,
from the soft channel sediments, to firm sand. Thalassia testudinum
was predominant vegetation to the sides of the channel with the algaes
Halimeda spp., Caulerra sp.and Penicillus sp. also present. There
were dense colonies 0 the coral Porites sp. and more scattered pieces
of Manicina sp. in the Thallassia area. To prevent damage to the coral,
this area was not sampled by net as was the Halodule sp. grass.
The proposed rip-rap seawall and backfilling will have only a minor
adverse impact resulting from the elimination of a small area of
Halodule. Water quality will not be affected by this work and the
biological effect will be insignificant. Limiting dredging to the area
delineated in the revision will have minimal adverse impact to
biological resources as the botton is mud and silt, essentially
unvegetated and devoid of macroinvertebrates.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, by the BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS
of MONROE County, Florida, that said Board hereby gives its approval
for the construction of the above mentioned work.
RESOLVED THIS
17th day of July
, 1979, at a Regularly
scheduled Meeting.
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COMMISSIONERS
10 ida
BY
ATTEST, . :6
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