Jones Creek Kayak Launch

Jones Creek is a major tributary of the Loxahatchee River in Jupiter, Florida. The Town of Jupiter acquired land along the creek on the south side of Indiantown Road and created a park with kayak launch to provide the general public with access to the creek. WGI prepared an environmental report to document protected resources (e.g., mangroves, wetlands) to determine the permitting requirements for the proposed project. WGI coordinated with the Town to develop a proposed plan for the kayak launch that could be situated within a naturally occurring break in the mangrove shoreline. Placing the launch within this opening allowed the project to qualify for an exemption with the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP) and a Nationwide 18 permit with the United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE). This reduced permitting costs and shortened the schedule. WGI applied for and received an exemption verification from the FDEP and coordinated with the USACE to meet the Nationwide 18 permit criteria and the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) JaxBO programmatic opinion
project design criteria. WGI provided the civil engineering design and the Town was able to install a public kayak launch at the park with minimal impact to natural resources.