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Three major hurricanes pushed sand up to homes and on streets in Manatee County this year. Now, crews are wrapping up a unique sand-sifting process designed to preserve the beauty of the beaches.
Brad Zink is the Emergency Management Coordinator for Manatee County.
He said the process preserves the sand that makes its beaches special.
“We’re using a 38-inch diamond-shaped screen through our screeners to get out any type of material, even the shell, the rocks and everything, so that when it goes back on the beach, it’s pretty much like a crystal type of white sand that everybody has been known to enjoy,” Zink told WMNF.
The county has been able to keep tons of sand on the beaches with the operation.
“We didnt want to bring in sand from, you know, other parts of the county or parts of the state, not knowing the origin of it, not knowing, you know, even if this sifting would even make it work for that and make it crystal clear like our sand is. So we want to keep it in the natural habitat that it is, that’s just basically putting it back on after we clean it,”
Sand from roadways will be sifted and returned to the beach.
Sand from parking lots, commercial lots, and residences – typically with larger debris – will be used for roads and capital projects.
Although Zink said they’ve seen some mechanical obstacles, the process has been a success.
“It’s hard to put words out there because of how much devastation there was, and to look at what we’ve done and where we are at now, it’s huge – it’s huge.” Zink said.
The county was given a January 11th completion date by FEMA, but expects it to be done by the end of this year.
Brad Zink is the Emergency Management Coordinator for Manatee County.
If you’re still removing sand from your private property, Manatee County says don’t just drop it onto public beaches – instead, contact your local utilities department or solid waste Division for guidance.
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