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Woods Hole Group, Inc., an international environmental, scientific, and engineering consulting organization based on Cape Cod, has been awarded a contract to review the Coastal Protection Plan for the Town of Palm Beach, Florida. The Palm Beach Town Council unanimously voted to hire Woods Hole Group to do a thorough review of the town’s long-term Coastal Protection Program, and to provide recommendations for future projects.

Palm Beach’s Coastal Protection Program, developed by the Shore Protection Board, calls for long-term measures to protect coastal properties from storm damage. If adopted, the extensive plan could entail investing more than $65M dollars in shore protection projects over a ten year span, including beach nourishment, dune restoration, seawall and groin rehabilitation, and other measures. The council is seeking an objective, independent recommendation from Woods Hole Group on the overall program.

A team of scientists and engineers at Woods Hole Group will begin work this month and present a report to the Town Council in August of 2012. The phased scope of work includes review of documents dating back to 1999, stakeholder outreach, possible supplemental technical analyses, and development of a recommendations report. Palm Beach is familiar territory for Woods Hole Group, which reviewed the town’s long-term Comprehensive Coastal Management Plan in 1998, and was selected to the approved roster of Coastal Engineering consultants for the town in 2009. Woods Hole Group maintains an active Coastal Engineering practice, routinely involving beach nourishment, coastal structures, dredging, soft solutions and expert services for other communities. Long-term, regional planning is a hallmark approach of the company.

“Our team is pleased to offer the Town tangible technical recommendations that can be implemented to actually improve the effectiveness of shore protection projects and conserve taxpayer resources,” said Bob Hamilton, Vice President at Woods Hole Group.

About Woods Hole Group:

Woods Hole Group is an international, environmental, scientific, and engineering consulting organization headquartered in Falmouth, Massachusetts. With its breadth of vision and emphasis on a sustainable future global environment, Woods Hole Group provides premier integrated solutions to meet the challenge of environmental problems worldwide. As a leader in environmental sciences and engineering, Woods Hole Group’s expertise includes environmental impact and risk assessment, measurement systems for real-time operational guidance, oceanography, and coastal sciences, engineering and planning. Woods Hole Group celebrated its 25th anniversary in 2011.

Dredging Today Staff, May 17, 2012; Image: woodsholegroup