Charlotte County Maintenance Dredge Program

In recent years, the county, through this program, has performed a handful of maintenance dredge projects that the First Line Coastal team has designed, permitted, managed, and completed. The 2019 Gulf Cove maintenance dredge project targeted roughly 40,000 cubic yards (CY) of material from 35 residential canals along the Myakka River. The role of the First Line team for the Gulf Cove project was developing 90% plans and technical specifications.

Directly across the Myakka River, the 2020 Manchester Waterway maintenance dredge project also took place targeting shoaled material throughout the tidally-influenced Manchester community canals. The First Line team identified 7,100 CY of shoaled material impeding navigation in the community. The team began the project in early design and brought it through construction and closeout. An added benefit to the project was the implementation of a beneficial use site inside the community, reducing material transport and disposal costs and directly improving water quality in the community. Additionally, because the design phases for Gulf Cove and Manchester overlapped, the team was able to apply an economy of scales cost saving measure to benefit both projects.

The most recent event the First Line team participated in was the 2022 Manchester Christopher, Knox, and Bayharbor maintenance dredge design. This project is also located inside the Manchester community, so the team was able to use their knowledge and experience of the historic projects to fast track the design. Ultimately this is the goal and proven success story of a well-run county-wide maintenance dredge program and the style of program that First Line wants to assist our clients in creating and managing. There are efficiencies that are only achievable through calculated planning and systemized approaches that can drastically increase the quality of dredge projects while reducing costs. Major project elements like design and cost estimating become more efficient and more accurate as the program matures.

The First Line team plans to continue assisting in the development of the Charlotte County dredge program and hopes to be able to use their experience here to assist in developing/managing similar programs throughout the state.