JUPITER — The Jupiter Inlet's remarkablyshallow depth has not improved since midsummer.
Instead, authorities warn that the center of the waterway is even shallower than it was a few months ago.
Depths areas low as 3 feet over the inlet'ssand trap, down from a previous estimate of 8 feet, the U.S. Coast Guard said in a recent notice. To warn boaters, the Jupiter Inlet District spent about $5,000 to install temporary PVC markerslastweek in the middle of the waterway, where the sediment buildup is most extreme.
"There were areas that were a hazard to navigation, shallower than we’ve ever historically seen in there," said Joe Chaison, executive director of the Jupiter Inlet District. He called it a "near-emergency situation."
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The small taxing district governed by a five-person board of commissioners is tasked with maintaining the inlet. The district dredges the inlet's sand trap, a man-made lane designed to collect underwater sediment, on a near-annual basis typically in late winter or early spring.
That didn't happen earlier this yearbecause of a mix of factors, Chaison has said.
He cited the discovery that one of the district's maindredging permits expired in 2017, complications on where to place the dredged sand because ofbeach renourishment in the area and the fact that there was relatively little sediment in the trap last fall.
In any event, the sand trap is now chock-full. The most recent estimate pegs its load at about 100,000 cubic yards, a total that Chaison called unprecedented.
A similar situation is afoot around the South Lake Worth Inlet, where a sand transfer plant has pumped out an exorbitant amount of sediment since last fall.
He's not sure of an exact cause, but Chaison said he wondered if the Jupiter Inletsediment could be from a rougher winter swell seasonor last winter's north county beach renourishment work, which used sediment dredged just northeast of the inlet.
Rip Munsterman, a captain atGood Time Charter Fishing, said he hasn't seen anything quite like this in the 15 years he's run boats in and out of the inlet. Good Time operates out of Castaways Marina off nearby Love Street, where Munsterman said the shallow depthhas become a talking point for those hanging around the dock.
He figures he's seen about a half-dozen boats hit ground in the inlet.
"Until they recently marked it... you would not think going throughthe middle of an inlet wouldn't be safe," Munsterman said.
Jupiter Town Councilman Cameron May even raised the issueat the end of the council's meeting Tuesday night. Mayor Todd Wodraska said he planned to write a letterexpressing the urgency of addressing the matter.
"It is an incredibly dangerous situation right outside of DuBois (Park)," Wodraska said. "In the middle, what everybody would think is the geometric center of the inlet, it's 3 1/2 feet at medium tide. It's crazy."
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Relief is coming, Chaison said. The district plans to have the inlet dredged in November and is discussing a proposal with the Florida Inland Navigation District, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and contractorCoastal Dredging Inc. to piggyback on the Corps' plans to dredge the Intracoastal Waterway near the inlet after Nov. 1,he added.
"Our hope right now is to use their contractor … to have them perform our work sort of in the middle of that contract," Chaison said.
The district has used this kind of strategy in the past, he said. Its federal dredging permit application is still pending with the Corps, but Chaison said he expects it will soon be approved.
In the meantime, another Jupiter-area charter boat captain, Tom Schwier, is glad the problematic area is marked off. The owner of Tom Cat Fishing Charters said it was "only a matter of time before somebody really did some damage."
He recently pointed out the area to customers coming back from a fishing trip. One jumped into the water. Avideo that circulated locally on social media last month shows the man walking throughthe inlet, the water at one point only reaching his waist.
Schwier remains pragmatic about the situation. There's still plenty of water around the north and south side of the inlet to veer around the sand trap, he said.
"It's still navigable, soit's not the end of the world."
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@SamuelHHoward
