County to dredge Boynton Inlet; Harvey Oyer boat ramp to close briefly

Palm Beach County officials told the Boynton Beach City Commission on April 1 that routine maintenance dredging at the South Lake Worth Inlet (commonly called the Boynton Inlet) will begin in April and will include work at the Harvey Oyer Park boat channel that will require a temporary closure of the boat ramp.

The county’s coastal resources manager, Andy Stute, said the project will remove about 63,000 cubic yards from interior shoal areas and sand traps and that the current contract price is about $1,900,000, weather- and conditions-dependent. “We should be dredging about 63,000 cubic yards from the interior shoal areas,” Stute told the commission. He said the county expects the narrow Oyer Park channel work to take about one week to two weeks once the contractor reaches that portion of the site.

County staff told the commission they obtained a 15-year permit that allows repeated maintenance dredging during that timeframe, rather than seeking approval for each one-time placement as in prior cycles. Stute said the county and the city have an existing easement through Boynton Beach Oceanfront Park to move equipment onto the beach and that the dredged material from the inlet will be placed below mean low water so it can re-enter the nearshore system naturally; a separate, larger beach renourishment project with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers next winter is expected to place roughly 500,000 cubic yards from offshore sources.

Why it matters: the inlet interrupts the natural north-to-south littoral sand transport; shoaling in the interior shoal and sand trap areas impedes navigation and restricts access at the city ramp. Stute said the county coordinates dredging with the Florida Inland Navigation District and the city when possible so beneficial beach-quality sand is returned to the littoral system rather than removed permanently.

Commissioners pressed county staff on timing around local events. Commissioner Adam Turkin noted a firefighter fishing tournament scheduled for April 26 and asked whether the dredging could disrupt that event; Stute said the narrow Oyer Park channel component is being scheduled later in the job, and the county will coordinate with city staff and event organizers. “I would be hopeful that we’ll be done by the 26th but I can’t provide any guarantees,” Stute said. He added the county will explore whether boats can be routed safely around the dredge while maintaining public safety.

Stute said the inlet was last dredged in 2013, and interior maintenance is conditions-driven; the county began the permitting process in 2019 and received the longer-term authorization after a multi-year review that included mitigation arrangements. He described the project as maintenance, not the large renourishment project that will follow in winter with the Army Corps.

The commission did not take a formal vote on the dredging item; county staff said they will keep the city updated on the contractor’s schedule and will coordinate the temporary ramp closure and public notices.

The city manager and deputy city manager were listed as staff contacts for follow-up, and county staff said they are prepared to update the commission as the work progresses.

Ending: County staff urged the public and marina users to watch city and county notices for the exact dates of the ramp closure and for safety advisories while dredging equipment is operating in the channel.