By Linda Haase
After years of discussions, the Boynton Inlet will remain as it is. At least for now.
Boynton Beach commissioners voted June 2 to adopt the Boynton Inlet Committee’s recommendation to bypass other options, including widening or deepening the channel, ebb shoal dredging, shifting the south jetty and replacing the A1A bridge over the inlet.
However, they didn’t shut the door entirely on future changes that would improve the safety of the popular inlet. They’re sending the recommendation, along with an 83-page report detailing the alternatives, to the Palm Beach County Commission for review. Although they didn’t advocate any long-term structural changes, they favored more signs letting boaters know about dangerous conditions there.
The non-action vote was just what Manalapan was hoping for, said Manalapan Town Manager Greg Dunham, who noted that a study the town conducted showed that a wider or deeper inlet would cause significant flooding during a severe storm. That report will also be forwarded to the County Commission.
“Considering the alternatives, we prefer to keep things status quo unless we see some kind of alternative that would not cause a storm surge,” he said after the meeting.
Those sentiments were echoed by the executive director of the Florida Coalition for Preservation, Kristine deHaseth. “We feel that the committee came up with a good plan,” deHaseth said, adding that warning signs and boater education classes are also necessary. “I think it is OK to send this to the County Commission as long as they get a complete package that tells the entire story. And it’s imperative that the commission gives advance notice when they will be discussing this, so everyone involved can attend and have their views heard.“
The narrow inlet’s fate has been in limbo since 2004, when Applied Technology & Management was hired to identify ways to improve safety there. The inlet’s jetties limit boaters’ visibility, and shoals to the east of the inlet create shallow waters which in turn stimulate waves that have capsized vessels.
Making the inlet safer would also have a positive economic impact according to Boynton Mayor Jerry Taylor.
A committee studying that $180,000 report voted to keep things as they are, citing hurricane storm surge that could flood coastal towns when water rushes from the ocean through a wider or deeper channel.
Ocean Ridge Vice Mayor Geoff Pugh, who was on that committee, said Boynton Beach’s decision was a logical one.
“There is a lot more to this issue, a lot more information that needs to come to light, especially about environmental concerns. You can’t make a decision of this magnitude without all of the information,” he said. “And who would bear the brunt of the cost if these changes were made? That was never brought up.” Making the inlet wider or deeper could cause flooding to many Ocean Ridge homes, he said. “That’s not what we want here.”
The inlet, which was created to improve the water quality in the Intracoastal, was never intended to be used for boaters. “It was never intended for boating, but anyone who can get under the bridge goes under it," said Taylor, who said he has been concerned about the safety in the inlet since he saw a boat rocked by a huge waves there in 1980. Taylor indicated he hoped the County Commission would seriously consider all the options.
And when they do, said Ed Tichenor, director of Palm Beach County Reef Rescue, they need to investigate any impact changes would have on the reef. He also cited a recent NOAA study showing that the inlet had a significant amount of pollution. “In theory,” he said, “if you increase the size of the inlet, you will increase the pollution.”
Widening the inlet would also have a big economic impact, he said. “The inlet would be shut down for six months and would impact businesses that are barely hanging on now.”
The report is expected to be sent to the county after Boynton and the county finish their budget discussions, which will probably be in August or September, said Boynton Beach City Manager Kurt Bressner.
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