longshore sand transport in the vicinity of the Harbor is discussed in Chapter 3. Cape Canaveral 

 and its shoals provide substantial sheltering of waves incident from the north to the area of 

 Canaveral Harbor, resulting in variable sand-transport rates alongshore and producing a concave 

 shore. The Harbor jetties block sand that is moving alongshore, and the deep navigation channel 

 also traps this sand. Consequently, accretion along the updrift beach (north of the north jetty at 

 the study site) has accelerated, and the downdrift beach directly adjacent to the Harbor has 

 eroded. 



2.2. Canaveral Harbor 



The 1945 Rivers and Harbors Act (Public Law 79-14) authorized construction of the entrance 

 channel, jetties, turning basin, and canal at Canaveral Harbor. The Harbor entrance was 

 constructed between 1951 and 1954. The project was modified by the 1962 Rivers and Harbors 

 Act (Public Law 87-874) to include construction and operation of a sand-bypassing plant. The 

 purpose of the sand-bypassing plant was, in combined use with conventional dredging, to 

 maintain the navigation project entrance channel. A secondary purpose of the plant was to 

 nourish the beach directly south of the south jetty by restoring an estimated 90 % of the 

 southward annual littoral drift. 



In 1993, the USACE estimated that 636,000 cy would need to be dredged once every 6 years. 

 In 1994, the USACE Chief of Engineers modified the sand-transfer feature of the project by 

 approving construction of sand bypassing by conventional dredging in lieu of a fixed plant. 

 Since 1965, Federal, State, and local interests have placed 6.3 Mcy on the beaches south of 

 Canaveral Harbor. The most significant beach fill was conducted in 1974 and 1975 (Refer to 

 Appendix F, Table F-2 for a complete list of beach fills). At that time, 2.8 Mcy of sand were 

 placed on a 10,500-ft-long section of beach directly south of the Canaveral Harbor entrance 

 channel. This area of beach fill extended from the south Harbor jetty to Monument R-l 1 (Pierce 

 Avenue). 



o.o Chapter 2 Background 



