Segment II Mitigation Reef
In 2016, the Broward County Shore Protection Project - Segment II placed approximately 650,000 cubic yards of sand along Pompano Beach, Lauderdale-By-The-Sea, and Fort Lauderdale shorelines to restore the beach and dune. To mitigate for unavoidable impacts to nearshore hardbottom habitat associated with the sand placement, project permits (issued by the Florida Department of Environmental Protection and United States Army Corps of Engineers) required the construction of 6.8 acres of nearshore mitigation reef directly offshore of the sand placement shoreline. Broward County has contracted with Resolve Equipment, Inc. of Fort Lauderdale to fabricate the mitigation reef units and build the reef in Broward County's nearshore waters.
The mitigation reef will be located approximately 1,500 feet offshore of the Town of Lauderdale-By-The-Sea in water depths just under 20 feet. It will be made of 4,114 individual concrete and limestone rock mitigation reef units specifically designed for the project.
Deployment of the reef modules offshore of Lauderdale-By-The-Sea commenced in August 2021. Construction is currently suspended and expected to resume in the near future. The intent of the mitigation reef is to mimic natural nearshore hardbottom habitat and encourage colonization of benthic organisms, corals, fish, sea turtles, and other marine life.