Army Corps rejects Pasco’s permit for SunWest channel dredge
ARIPEKA — The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has again rejected Pasco County’s permit for a channel dredge at the future SunWest Park near the Pasco-Hernando County line.
The Corps’ Jacksonville District last year denied the permit to dredge a 60-foot-wide channel that would provide boat access to the Gulf of Mexico. The channel also would have opened Gulf access for residents of a proposed upscale home development, SunWest Harbourtowne.
The decision came after Pasco won an administrative appeal of the 2013 denial, which sent the application back to the Jacksonville office for reconsideration.
“I’m not surprised seeing as how they’re trying to find ways to deny the permit,” Commission Chairman Jack Mariano said. The county offered to change the alignment of the dredge so it would have reduced the impact on seagrass. “But they didn’t want any part of it,” he said.
The Florida Cabinet had unanimously endorsed the project, and the state Department of Environmental Protection permitted the dredge. But the Corps “determined that the proposed project is contrary to the public interest based on several factors, including conservation, economics, general environmental concerns, wetlands, fish and wildlife values, flood hazards, navigation, recreation, water quality and safety.”
District Commander Col. Alan Dodd informed the county by letter this week that he is sustaining the denial and that the county has exhausted its administrative appeal options. “We must conclude any further consideration of this appeal.”
The county is currently building a $4 million wakeboarding park at the former mine that is slated to open in early 2015. The 60-foot-wide channel was designed so the county could build seven boat ramps at the park, and to serve as a major draw for a proposed private development, SunWest Harbourtowne.
County Administrator Michele Baker said she is disappointed by the ruling, especially since the county’s existing boat ramps are usually filled to capacity on weekends and holidays. The county is reviewing its options.
“The Gulf of Mexico should be enjoyed by all citizens,” she said. “SunWest Park boat ramp would have provided badly needed access for boaters not only in Pasco County but also for Hernando County residents.”
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