FDOT Response
In 2003 and 2004, the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) was required to mitigate salt marsh impacts caused by two road construction projects: the widening of the intracoastal waterway bridge on Atlantic Boulevard in Jacksonville and the and the construction of the Fort George Inlet bridge. The mitigation project consisted of replacing the nonfunctioning floodgate with three self-regulating tide gates at Atlantic Avenue in Nassau County. This converted the freshwater ecosystem within the Egans Creek Greenway between Atlantic Avenue and Jasmine Street to a salt marsh. The unintended consequences of this FDOT mitigation allowed saltwater intrusion and increased water levels south of Jasmine Street. For the next several years, an extensive die-off of red maple trees was observed within the Egans Creek Greenway due to the saltwater intrusion.
A public meeting was held by FDOT in 2007 to present options for a restoration plan, including construction of a tide barrier at Jasmine Street. It was expressed by the meeting’s attendees that Egans Creek was the largest freshwater wetland on Amelia Island before the mitigation project, and the citizens wanted the southern portion back to its original condition.
During the public meeting, FDOT accepted responsibility for the saltwater intrusion and told the Fernandina Beach city commissioners that it would fix the damaged Greenway south of Jasmine Street. The Fernandina City Commission voted to require the prevention of further salt water intrusion immediately.
On April 4, 2007, a St. Johns River Water Management District (SJRWMD) Environmental Permit application was submitted by the FDOT to install a tidal barrier at Jasmine Street. However, a petition by a local citizen delayed the issuance of the permit. On February 19, 2008 the Fernandina Beach Commissioners passed Resolution 2008-30 that “strongly urged” the FDOT to immediately install a barrier to prevent further saltwater intrusion. FDOT explained to SJRWMD the criticalness of the project to issue an emergency permit. On March 21, 2008, the Executive Director executed an Emergency Order authorizing FDOT to install a permanent concrete weir tide barrier in Egans Creek at Jasmine Street to prevent further saltwater intrusion into freshwater wetlands.
FDOT completed the construction of the tide barrier near Jasmine Street in the summer of 2008. Soil salinity data was collected in the fall of 2009 to evaluate the extent of the affected wetland areas and analyze the amount of salt in the soil. FDOT hired wetland experts in 2010 to develop restoration alternatives. An initial tree removal and vegetation re-establishment plan was developed in the spring of 2011 and presented to Fernandina Beach city staff in the summer of 2011. Based on comments by the city of Fernandina representatives, an updated preliminary restoration concept and process was presented at a Restoration Workshop on November 14, 2011. The restoration plan and alternatives are being further evaluated and refined based on comments received by FDOT at the November meeting.
FDOT presented three restoration alternatives at the Fernandina Beach City Commission meeting January 17, 2012. During the presentation, FDOT stated the preferred alternative is the aesthetic planting alternative or alternative two.