Lake Worth Lagoon
Study Suggests Widening Boynton Inlet
By Will Vash
December 2, 2007
With wind-chopped waves breaking over a large sand shoal, a narrow and sometimes shallow passage to the Atlantic has become a risky proposition for boaters in south Palm Beach County.
A study commissioned by Boynton Beach on the Boynton Inlet assessed current safety and water quality conditions in the area and offered possible improvements, including widening the 100-foot gap to 300 feet. Other alternatives include revamping the southern jetty and dredging and deepening the inlet between 5 and 10 feet, according to the West Palm Beach firm of Applied Technology & Management.
Although Boynton Beach has no control over the inlet, Mayor Jerry Taylor said it was important that someone take the lead on looking at its current conditions and future plans. City commissioners approved the $160,000 study in March, and the city will be reimbursed by the South Florida Water Management District.
"The inlet has been a primary concern of mine for a while. It's just unsafe," Taylor said. "At least with this study, we now have a starting point to work from."
The cheapest alternative would be to dredge and deepen the inlet to about 15 feet at a cost of about $2.1 million. The most expensive alternative would be deepening the inlet to 20 feet and widening it by 200 feet for about $21.7 million.
Taylor suggests replacing the current span with a drawbridge to create greater economic opportunities and a lock system to prevent flooding during large storms.
"We are supposed to be the gateway to the Gulf Stream, but we don't have a gate," Taylor said. "If they'd widen it even a little bit, they'll need a new bridge."
Ken Kaleel, mayor of Ocean Ridge on the inlet's south side, said the study didn't address how the changes would affect parks, beaches, reefs and homes.
"I think this report is going to be viewed very critically until we have all the facts and know the impacts," he said. "Right now it's just talk in the wind."
The inlet, created in 1927, was not meant as a navigable passage, but boaters still use it to access the ocean.
Palm Beach County officials expect maintenance dredging west of the inlet to begin in January, but that alone won't address safety concerns.
There were at least 23 boat rescues at the inlet from January 2004 to July 2007, according to Palm Beach County Ocean Rescue. Five people were rescued last month near the inlet when their boat flipped in rough swells.
Kaleel said that as a boater he would probably favor deepening the inlet.
"If safety is the only question, then we can resolve safety without widening," Kaleel said. "I'm not in favor of doing something simply for an economic reason."
Any changes to the inlet would need approval from the water district, Florida Department of Environmental Protection, Florida Inland Navigation District, Florida Department of Transportation and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
Geno Pratt, captain of the Lantana-based Geno IV fishing charter boat, said the danger in the inlet is real.
"If they widen or deepen the inlet, it would definitely make a big difference," Pratt said. "It would make it much more passable. Everybody would benefit from that."