On Sunday, May 21, the Liberty Island Dredge took a second loggerhead turtle resulting in the immediate shut-down of the project. On Monday, May 22, 2006, the US Army Corps of Engineers through consultation with other federal agencies determined that the project should not continue and an immediate suspension shall go into affect until October 1, 2006.
Over the following days, Walton County and the City of Destin worked to determine if there are any additional avenues for restarting the project before October 1. On May 25, 2006 it was determined that the project would not be allowed to restart prior to October 1. The reason for the suspension was that the project resulted in four turtle takes and the US Army Corps of Engineers has determined that given the abundance of sea turtles in the area of the borrow area, as well as the sea conditions and the location of and shape of the borrow area, it is not possible using a hopper dredge to continue without undue risk of turtle takes.
To date, we have completed approximately 19,750 feet (53 %) of the total project, and about 77% of the Walton County portion. There are 17,450 feet remain to complete the project. The project has currently placed approximately 1.45 million cubic yards of sand since the project began in February. Great Lakes Dredge and Dock Company, LLC has commenced demobilization. Additional meetings will be held between all parties involved to determine the next steps and information will be provided as it becomes available.