FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Channel markers being installed in Manatee Pocket - Directional signs will help boaters safely navigate the channel
Stuart, Fla. - April 1, 2011 - Boaters will soon have a defined channel to navigate in the Manatee Pocket once the dredging project is complete later this year. Channel markers are being installed in the completed dredged areas in the Pocket to help boaters safely navigate the channel. Channel markers are even more important in places such as the Manatee Pocket where a new channel has been created. “Since there was no previously defined channel, boaters would not be familiar with the limits and turns in the channel. That’s why the new markers are so critical to boater safety.” Tetra Tech Project Manager Richard Czlapinski said.
Shoal markers have also been installed at the mouth of the Manatee Pocket to alert boaters to a shallow area that presents a navigation hazard and to direct vessel traffic around the obstruction. Vessels are advised to be aware of the obstruction and “stay to the right” as they approach and pass by the shoal area. This will minimize maneuvering issues in this restricted channel area.
For more information and construction updates, visit www.manateepocketproject.com or call 1-800-580-9149.
About The Manatee Pocket Project
The Manatee Pocket Project is a dredging project that entails the removal of approximately 280,000 cubic yards of sediment from the Manatee Pocket in Port Salerno. Once completed, the project will result in a 100-foot-wide channel that will provide navigational and environmental enhancements to the Manatee Pocket and its adjacent waterways and provide important economic benefits for the surrounding communities.
The goals of the project are to:
- Increase the draft and size of vessels that will be able to access the Pocket
- Define a channel to minimize impacts to adjacent shallow water areas and benefit manatee protection
- Remove detrimental sediments
- Improve the ability of marine life to re-establish in the Pocket
- Improve the water quality in the Pocket by greatly reducing the re-suspension of sediment
Click Here to download pdf
For more information visit www.manateepocketproject.com
Contact:
Kathy Fitzpatrick
Martin County Coastal Engineer
772-288-5429
kfitzpat@martin.fl.us
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