Seven new artificial reefs in Martin County began this week

[dropcap]T[/dropcap]he creation of seven new artificial reefs in Martin County began this week on Monday, July 28, with 3,500 tons of concrete material being deployed south of the St. Lucie Inlet.

Each new patch reefs will be comprised of approximately 500 tones of material. Materials are being transported by barge from Phipps Park on the Okeechobee Waterway in Stuart to deployment sites offshore. Material has been donated by local contractors and include large culverts, concrete poles and thick concrete slabs. An agreement with Florida Power & Light ensures a steady stream of concrete poles will come to the program. The concrete waste is collected at the Martin County Transfer Station by the Utilities Department as part of a recycling effort to free up landfill space. Tipping fees for good clean concrete are waived when donated to the artificial reef program. These deployments are partially funded by a grant from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.

The deployment cycle is approximately three days. With seven loads, the project, bearing weather delays, will take approximately three weeks to complete.

To date, over 90 artificial reefs have been created and have become popular spots for fishermen and divers. each reef offers a bounty of rich aquatic life, some creating ideal locales for saltwater anglers and recreational divers, while others provide habitat for protection of the fishery.

Here are the coordinates for the seven new artificial reefs:

 
Here’s a video of the first deployment:

To learn more about Martin County’s Artificial Reef Program and to find reef locations, visit www.martinreefs.com.