The position of the HWL was determined for the period September 1972 to February 1998 

 from FDEP and USACE beach-profile surveys. This information supplemented long-term 

 historical shoreline-position data and revealed beach response to the beach fill of 1974/75 and 

 subsequent shoreline change. Beach and dune erosion and recession were calculated for three 

 storms that struck the coast of Brevard County between 1979 and 1994, a time span that covers 

 the time of ownership of the properties of the two test plaintiffs to the near present. 



Four conclusions emerged from the analyses: 



1. The sand placed on Brevard County's beaches by the USACE in 1974/75 extended the 

 shoreline seaward of the 1948 (pre-Harbor) shoreline position and seaward of the September 

 1972 (pre-fill) shoreline position. The 1974/75 beach fill more than compensated for beach 

 erosion that had occurred since the Harbor was constructed. The erosion-impact zone 

 induced by the Harbor that was present on the (natural) beach prior to beach-fill placement 

 was determined to have extended approximately 7,000 ft south of the south jetty. The fill 

 was placed on the beach from the Harbor's south jetty and extended south approximately 

 10,500 ft. The fill compensated for preexisting erosion over the distance of 7,000 ft, as well 

 as nourished previously accreting areas that are located beyond 7,000 ft south of Canaveral 

 Harbor. 



2. The beach in the 7,000-ft erosion-impact zone covered by the fill has experienced erosion 

 since 1974/75. However, the volume of sand placed on the beaches south of the Harbor in 

 1974/75, and subsequent smaller fills and nearshore placements in the 1990s, had been 

 effective at maintaining the shoreline seaward of its September 1972 position (pre-fill). 

 Therefore, nearly all impacts (beach erosion and shoreline recession) caused by the Harbor 

 relative to pre-fill conditions, have been mitigated by placement of sand just south of the 

 entrance channel. 



3. Erosion that developed since the USACE 1974/75 beach fill extends approximately 17,000 ft 

 south of Canaveral Harbor, an increase of about 10,000 ft relative to the southern terminus of 

 the erosion-impact zone that had occurred along the pre-fill (natural) beach. The increased 

 distance of erosion is attributed to adjustments in the beach fill resulting from geometric 

 differences (equilibration of beach slope and spreading loss associated with beach fills) and, 

 possibly, grain-size differences between the natural beach and the engineered beach. 



4. Sand-bypassing rates were determined through analysis of long-term sediment transport 

 processes by comparing pre- and post-Harbor bathymetric surveys. Sand bypassing can 

 mitigate or eliminate downdrift beach erosion caused by Canaveral Harbor. Net longshore- 

 transport rates were calculated for the vicinity of the Harbor. The volume of sand deposited 

 along the beach north of the Harbor prior to its construction was subtracted from the volume 



5-2 



Chapter 5 Summary and Conclusions 



