Sloughing—- Yet another Rip-Rap issue.

There was study reported on by the Tampa Bay Times that compared home sales along canals that were navigable and not navigable, the study concluded that homes along the navigable canals sell for $254,293 more than homes not on navigable canals.  The loss of Tax revenue would also be realized should our values go down.

The articles purpose is to give you a guide to how the Environmental people will regulate how you dredge.

(Full article, Sunday June 2, 2013 Richard Danielson, Time staff writer)

http://www.tampabay.com/news/localgovernment/dredging-finally-under-way-in-west-shore-canals/2124430

Eventually the canals within Mira Bay may require dredging, adding 16 feet of rock to each canal will have to be carefully considered until such dredging can take place.  According to the environmental regulator, (Same Article) the dredging must stop at least 5 feet from privately owned dock and 10 feet from a seawall.  In the case of the proposed rip-rap fix that would mean 10 feet from the toe of the rip rap.

That distance will just about cover the width of everyone’s boat lift on the canals. Therefore, should the water depth decrease under the lifts, the homeowner will have no way to legally dredge it out, but if dredged anyway, then sloughing will occur.

What is sloughing?

Dredging can undermine the lateral support and compromise the structural integrity of the rip –rap barrier, this loss of lateral support can and will cause significant sloughing of the rip-rap and will continue on an ever-lasting-escalating basis, this is known as sloughing.

This sloughing will cause the rip-rap to collapse into the void left empty because the erosion of the underlying soil which will then create a hazardous situation.

Thus not only impeding one’s ability to get their boats on and of the lifts, but now that the rip-rap collapsed into the void it is no longer applying the proper force to hold up the wall.

Once Again Mira Bay;  I am looking and found out yet another future hidden cost to this community we should not have to open our wallets for.