HYDRODYNAMIC AND MORPHOLOGIC ANALYSIS OF DESIGN ALTERNATIVES FOR PONCE DE LEON INLET, FL

Abstract: Despite years of engineering efforts, studies, and maintenance by USACE, Ponce de Leon Inlet, FL still suffers from severe shoaling and channel migration leading to hazardous navigation and mechanical stress on the north jetty. To help remove the stalemate over re-engineering the inlet, the present study applied the fully-integrated Coastal Modeling System (CMS) to determine the redesign that best improves navigation, alleviates structural stress on the north jetty, and reduces shoaling of the south spit. Comparison of net morphologic changes, normalized volume changes within 15 sub-domains, and hydrodynamic changes during both spring and neap tides allowed the favored designs from a 3-month run to be modeled for a 10-month run, to include fall and winter storm events. Taken in total with the three areas of concern in mind, the South Jetty Extension with Submergent Spur, Hard Bottom, and Channel Redesign was considered the optimal candidate modeled in this study. Background Ponce de Leon is one of 154 inlets federally-maintained by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE). In 1993, the Coastal and Hydraulics Laboratory (CHL) of the