CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — The city of Cape Canaveral is taking new steps to protect critical infrastructure at its wastewater treatment plant by installing 10 1,200-pound concrete reef arches and granite boulders to help reduce shoreline erosion.
“These are acting as wave breaks, dissipating energy from the lagoon,” said Zach Eichholz, the city’s chief resilience manager. “Their honeycomb design allows sunlight to reach seagrass below and provides habitat for fish.”
The reef arches and riprap are an interim solution while the city works with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers on a $13.5 million long-term project to harden and enhance the shoreline.
That plan, which carries a 65/35 federal-local cost share, includes a sheet pile wall, a coquina barrier and extensive native plantings to create a living shoreline.
The wastewater facility was added to the Corps’ national list of threatened shorelines in 2023, making it eligible for federal support.
Design and construction of the long-term project are expected to take two to three years.
In the meantime, Eichholz says the reef arches are helping safeguard an area that holds 1.4 million gallons of sewage at any given time.
The $20,000 project will continue protecting the shoreline until permanent measures are in place.
Click here to download our free news, weather and smart TV apps. And click here to stream Channel 9 Eyewitness News live.
©2025 Cox Media Group
