2. Background 



This chapter gives an overview of the study site. Material covered includes the physical 

 setting, natural coastal features and coastal engineering activities, and the locations of the 

 properties of the test plaintiffs. A chronology of selected major activities and storms documented 

 for the site is given, and the chapter concludes with a discussion of regulatory boundaries, 

 reference datums, and shoreline definitions. 



2.1. Study Site 



The plaintiffs own property along the Atlantic Ocean coast of Brevard County, in northern 

 Florida. Figure 2-1 is a site map showing the locations of the properties of the two test plaintiffs. 



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Brevard County meets Volusia County about 3 1 miles north of Canaveral Harbor. To the south, 

 Brevard County meets Indian River County at Sebastian Inlet. Plaintiffs' properties extend 

 33 miles south along the sand beach from the south jetty of Canaveral Harbor to the north jetty of 

 Sebastian Inlet, a reach of approximately 41 miles. The northern reach of this beach is sheltered 

 from northeast waves by Cape Canaveral and the Canaveral Shoals. Banana River Lagoon backs 

 the peninsula to the north and merges with Indian River Lagoon to the south, through which the 

 Intracoastal Waterway runs. From north to south, main beach segments are (City of) Canaveral 

 Beach, Cocoa Beach, Patrick AFB, Satellite Beach, Indialantic Beach, Melbourne Beach, and 

 Melbourne Shores. 



Table 2-1 is a chronology of selected major activities and storms pertinent to this study and 

 associated beaches. It lists Harbor dredging, beach nourishment, major storms, establishment of 

 the erosion-control line (ECL) and the Coastal Construction Control Line (CCCL) (regulatory 

 boundaries are discussed in Section 2-3), and purchase dates of the two test plaintiffs. 



The predominant (net) direction of longshore sand movement along the Brevard County coast 

 is from north to south. The southward average annual longshore transport was estimated to be 

 350,000 cy by the USACE (Senate Document 140, 1962). The southward transport is presently 

 estimated to be 308,000 cy/year just north of the Harbor entrance channel. The magnitude of 



Federal authorization (River and Harbor Act of March 2, 1945) refers to the project of cutting the harbor as "Canaveral 

 Harbor" (Federal Navigation Project). In 1953, the State of Florida established the Canaveral Port Authority and Port 

 District, replacing a previously created political entity, the Port District, which had been created to lobby the Federal 

 Government for authorization of the Harbor. On maps, the Canaveral-Harbor complex is denoted as "Port Canaveral." 

 Canaveral Harbor consists of Port Canaveral and the Trident (submarine) Turning Basin, and it is bordered to the north by 

 Cape Canaveral AFB. The ocean entrance channel is maintained by dredging to a depth of 46 ft mean low water. The west 

 side of the Harbor connects to the Banana River Lagoon through a navigation lock that is normally closed, so tidal currents 

 in the entrance and Harbor are weak. 



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The magnitude and direction of longshore sand transport are seasonal. Along the study coast, in winter the transport is 

 directed predominantly to the south, whereas in summer it is directed predominantly to the north. In most years, the net 

 annual transport is to the south. The longshore transport rate is not constant, but varies daily, seasonally, and annually 

 depending on weather patterns; number, direction, and types of storms; water level; and other factors. 



Chapter 2 Background O-l 



