Search by Keyword
Search by Department
All Departments Administration Corrections Development Services Facilities Management Human Resources Information Technology Library Services Management and Budget Services Natural Resources Management Neighborhood and Human Services Parks and Recreation Public Safety Public Works Veterans Services Waste Services
CONTACT: DEP Press Office, 850.245.2112, [email protected]
DEP Awards More Than $217,000 for Escambia County Pensacola Bay Living Shoreline Project
~RESTORE Grant to fund planning, design and permitting of environmental restoration project~
TALLAHASSEE, Fla.– The Florida Department of Environmental Protection has awarded more than $217,000 in RESTORE grant funding for the Pensacola Bay Living Shoreline Project. Funding will support the first phase of planning, engineering, design and permitting of the environmental restoration project.
Living shorelines address erosion by providing long-term protection, reducing wave energy and restoring vegetated shoreline habitats through strategic placement of plants, rock and oyster reefs.Living shorelines also stabilize sediment, improve water quality, and enhance habitats for oysters, fish, shrimp, crabs, birds, sea turtles and other estuarine species.
"Investing in projects like this are important to our coastal estuaries," said Drew Bartlett, DEP deputy secretary for ecosystem restoration. "In addition to providing natural shoreline protection, it also creates habitats necessary for the variety of wildlife in Pensacola Bay, and subsequently the industries that depend on them."
The project includes placing 24,800 linear feet of rock and oyster reef breakwater and planting 205 acres of emergent marsh and submerged aquatic vegetation habitat at three sites: one adjacent to White Island in northwestern Pensacola Bay, and the other two on the eastern and southern shores of Pensacola Naval Air Station.
Funding for the first phase of this project was received through the Gulf Coast Ecosystem Restoration Council’s Funded Priorities List. The RESTORE Act, which was passed by Congress on June 29, 2012, and signed into law on June 6, 2012, by the President, provides a vehicle for Clean Water Act civil and administrative penalties from the Deepwater Horizon oil spill to be distributed to affected Gulf Coast states.
About the Florida Department of Environmental Protection
The Florida Department of Environmental Protection is the state’s principal environmental agency, created to protect, conserve and manage Florida’s environment and natural resources. The department enforces federal and state environmental laws, protects Florida’s air and water quality, cleans up pollution, regulates solid waste management, promotes pollution prevention and acquires environmentally-sensitive lands for preservation. The agency also maintains a statewide system of parks, trails and aquatic preserves. To view the department’s website, visit www.dep.state.fl.us.
The mission of Escambia County government is to provide efficient, responsive services that enhance our quality of life, meet common needs and promote a safe and healthy community.
Under Florida law, IP addresses and both the content of emails and email addresses are public records. If you do not want your IP address and the content of your email or your email address released in response to a public records request, do not send electronic mail to this entity. Instead, contact this office by phone or in person.