Artificial Reef Mitigation Project

During the 2017 summer months, the US Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) began construction of an artificial mitigation reef project in the water east of the Satellite Beach shoreline. The reefs will be low lying, concrete mats topped with coquina limestone and will be located in approximately fifteen feet of water, roughly 1,000 feet from the beach.

With the mid-April arrival of calm weather, the multi-year project has resumed with mat placement beginning on Site 3, which is located offshore, east of Canova Beach Park.

In total, there will be ten reef sites constructed in patches from Pelican Beach Park to just south of Howard E. Futch Memorial Park at Paradise Beach.  The ten sites will form approximately 4.8 acres of reef area constructed to mitigate up to three acres of nearshore coquina rock reef which may be impacted by sand during future beach restoration work by the Corps. Although the future beach work will focus on avoiding nearshore rock during sand placement, some rock (<10%) may be covered by sand as the beach equilibrates.

The reef mats have a low relief that will not influence the wave break and were designed to provide good habitat for diverse colonies of marine life. The reef project should not affect beachgoers, but a crane barge will be visible as it works constructing the artificial reefs offshore.

Brevard County serves as the local sponsor for this work.

 View artificial reef mat placement into the ocean from the deck of the crane barge.