The Jacksonville District's construction of the 2025 Canaveral Harbor Sand Bypass Project exemplifies Regional Sediment Management (RSM); combining multiple Federal projects to reduce costs, enhance sand availability for beach nourishment, and sustain critical sea turtle nesting habitat. The 2025 event was the sixth bypassing event at the harbor since 1995 and was the largest in the project's 30-year history. Accelerating the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) toward its goal of 70% beneficial use of dredged material (BUDM), it significantly increased both the volume of sand transferred to downdrift beaches and the distance across which it was placed (Figure 1) while saving Federal taxpayers an estimated $5 million.
Located south of Cape Canaveral, Florida, the harbor is the second-busiest cruise port in the U.S. It handled more than 6.5 million tons of cargo in 2024, is home to U.S. Navy Trident submarines, and supports space launch and recovery operations for commercial, civilian and national security missions.
Inlet bypassing is closely linked to two other USACE efforts: operation and maintenance (O&M) dredging of the harbor and nourishment of the Brevard County, Florida, Shore Protection Project - North Reach segment, which begins directly south of the inlet. The relationship stems from sand accreting rapidly against the inlet's north jetty, eventually moving around and through it, shoaling the navigation channel and mixing with finer silt and clay which requires O&M dredging and offshore disposal. Bypassing keeps sand out of the channel and on the beach by using a cutter-suction dredge to pump sand around the inlet from north to south, augmenting separately scheduled beach nourishments within the North Reach. Initially constructed in 2001, the North Reach has traditionally used hopper dredges to obtain sand from offshore sources shared by other regional beach nourishment projects.
All three actions – by
passing, O&M dredging and North Reach nourishments – are currently 100% Federally funded through the USACE Navigation O&M business line. They have historically been executed with different schedules, contracts and dredging equipment. The District's ongoing RSM Strategy, supported by the South Atlantic Division's (SAD) Regional Sediment Management Center of Expertise (RSM-RCX), aims to evaluate and implement actions to reduce lifecycle costs, decrease channel shoaling and reduce the deficit of offshore sand needed to maintain beach nourishment projects throughout Brevard County. The 2025 Canaveral Harbor Sand Bypass Project was a pivotal step in the RSM strategy as the District and its non-federal partners demonstrated the feasibility of using the bypass borrow area as the sole sand source for a full North Reach nourishment, completing both projects under one contract. More than 1.5 million cubic yards (mcy) of material were dredged from north of the inlet and placed up to 10 miles south, averaging 60% more volume and nearly 6 miles further than previous events. By eliminating costs associated with mobilizing a hopper dredge and achieving other cost efficiencies, the district estimates that this "Canaveral Combo" saved approximately $5 million while also conserving offshore sand sources.
However, it wasn’t all smooth sailing. The project faced challenges, including weather delays, installing and maintaining nearly 60,000 feet of pipeline and 2 jack-up booster pumps, and a critical pipeline break near the end of construction. While these hindered operations, they did not derail the project's overall success, as underscored by the American Shore and Beach Preservation Association (ASBPA) naming it one of America's Best Restored Beaches of 2025. The ASBPA highlighted its, "…effective management of an entire coastal system that supports wildlife, national security, space operations, commerce, tourism and recreation, and demonstrates how multiple entities (public, private, military, etc.) can work together providing innovative solutions."
Looking forward, Jacksonville District and the RSM-RCX anticipate additional benefits accruing to the navigation project. Quarterly monitoring surveys of the inlet and northern beach are being conducted to evaluate the potential of decreased O&M dredging frequency as a result of the increased bypass volume. Through a regional perspective and strong partnerships, the 2025 Canaveral Harbor Sand Bypass Project marks a significant step toward smarter, more sustainable coastal management.