Are failing seawalls a threat to Marco?

Photo by KELLY FARRELL, Staff
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Chief Code Enforcement Officer Eric Wardle inspects a seawall that came crumbling down after continued erosion from recent storms. The seawall at 81 Gulfport received a notice of violation and days later completely failed. The seawall is likely an original Delton Corp wall built about 30 years ago without a fully functional French drain to protect it from erosion.

Photo by KELLY FARRELL, Staff
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Waterways Advisory Committee considers advising the Marco Island City Council of new permitting and inspection needs for seawalls. Original Deltona Corporation seawalls did not include French drains and as they reach or exceed their 30 year life span, they are failing more rapidly. City officials warn that although it may be expensive to replace or repair the seawalls, it may be even more costly not to.

MARCO ISLAND — The number of seawalls on Marco Island in significant disrepair continues to grow rapidly and the city is looking at how to prevent a community hazard as well as protect the community’s shrinking wallet.

The number of seawalls found in violation of code for poor maintenance or complete failure is looking to nearly double this year with more than 100 such violations in 2007 and nearly 175 so far this year, said Eric Wardle, the city’s chief code enforcement officer.

Seawall replacement costs upwards of $30,000, according to contractors — leaving inspectors and code officials checking their conscience when deciding when to require a resident to replace a seawall at risk of failure.

“We left off on this issue (of seawalls) last year acknowledging that the standards in the city ordinance require some discretion given the cost of a seawall and the fact the city just engaged in the septic tank replacement program,” said Community Development Director Steve Olmsted, at a Waterways Advisory Committee meeting Thursday.

The STRP is costing many residents upwards of $20,000 and hitting residents with a required simultaneous seawall replacement could undoubtedly cause some financial hardships.

None the less, Olmsted said he acknowledged the challenge inspectors and officers face as they strive to protect the island and residents’ properties by enforcing seawall standards.

Olmsted requested that the Waterways Advisory Committee consider more definitive guidelines for what constitutes proper seawall maintenance and what constitutes seawall failure.

“I’m left hanging the way the seawall ordinance is written right now. If the wall has moved it’s in violation, then 60 percent of the seawalls on island are no good,” said Bruce Yakola, city seawall inspector.

In addition to looking for more specifics on the amount and degree of movement that should be written in the ordinance to determine failure, Yakola said he is seeing many other tell-tale signs of future seawall failures that also are not addressed in the current ordinance.

Several seawall contractors were present at the Waterways Committee meeting to stay informed on any changes in requirements, as well as voice their concerns about non-licensed contractors working on seawalls.

One of the components of the seawall that most concerns Yakola and Bob Mahar, the city’s chief building official, is the french drain. French drains protect the property from erosion and eventual collapse of the seawall into the adjacent canal.

The french drain is the area between the backyard and the seawall which is filled with gravel held in by filter fabric, Wardle said. He added that the storm water goes through the french drain and goes out through a hole in the seawall, so that land is not washed away with the water.

The seawalls, built more than 30 years ago when Deltona Corp. developed much of the island, are reaching the end of their useful life, both Yakola and Wardle agree.

Also, those original seawalls did not have french drains, said Matt Nolton, engineer and vice president of Forge Engineering based in Naples.

He said they may appear to be french drains, but actually property owners just filled the gap between the seawall and their lawns with gravel after deciding that it would last longer than constantly filling the gap with new soil. There is no filter fabric in these “french drain looking” areas that would protect the gravel and dirt from falling into the canal, requiring continuous soil or gravel replacement, he added.

Yakola said the french drains are an integral and necessary part of the function of a seawall.

Given that integral function several people present at the Waterways Committee questioned whether only qualified contractors should be allowed to work on french drains. Yakola was concerned that landscapers could be hired to throw “boulders and gravel” into the gap never mentioning to the homeowner that the large gap was a sign of a major problem with the seawall.

The Waterways Advisory Committee will be discussing possible changes in the seawall ordinance and will make recommendations to City Council about inspections for maintaining french drains and whether the city should require permits. They will also discuss other possible clarifications in the city’s seawall ordinance in order to minimize failures that may affect a neighboring lot’s seawall as well as the direct property owner’s lot.

Committee members have recommended ways property owners may maximize the life of a seawall including: Conduct a thorough inspection; install a french drain; install pilings around the perimeter of the seawall; use idle speed when boating through canals and avoid using sprinkler systems and davits adjacent to a seawall. Continual use of davits to hoist heavy boats adjacent to the seawall can increase pressure on the wall causing it to eventually fall; maintain french drains by topping them off with rock or gravel and unclog sand and soil from the holes in the seawall where the water is meant to be able to escape.

If the gravel is repeatedly needing to be refilled in french drains and is escaping unevenly, this is a sign of bigger problem, Gilmore said.

Many local contractors, including Collier Seawall and Dock as well as the City of Marco Island, provide free seawall inspections if residents are unsure of the maintenance procedures or status of their seawall.

City officials plan to work with the Waterways Committee, contractors and residents to develop a working plan to properly maintain seawalls. The committee’s recommendations will then be addressed by City Council to determine if changes in the ordinance are needed and if residents should be required to obtain permits to do maintenance on french drains.

“It’s good for the residents. It’s better for the island. We need proper maintenance ... If we have a significant weather event it’s going to be catastrophic,” Gilmore said.

The Waterways Advisory Committee created a Seawall Owner’s Manual that is available on the City of Marco Island’s Web site cityofmarcoisland.com or from City Hall.