The clouds were gray enough to turn seas frothy white. The wind slapped the water with enough force to keep boaters at home.
But the Hillsboro Inlet District's new dredge stood solid as a lighthouse, repelling both waves and the bottle of champagne used to christen it.
"Welcome to the dredge christening," Jack Holland announced recently.
The chairman of the eight-member inlet taxing district explained how the stationary dredge sucks sand from where it accumulates and pumps it into a submerged line, transferring it to Pompano Beach to continue its drift south.
"Every time something broke, there were a lot of parts we couldn't get so we had to make our own parts," Holland said. "Everything was rusting."
The $1.8 million replacement, funded through the district's property tax levy, features low-pollution engines and stainless steel fittings and water pipes to resist salt-water corrosion. It has air conditioning for the five-member crew and a meter to measure how much sand goes on Pompano Beach.
"Regulators all want to know how many hundreds of cubic yards of sand are being put on the beach," Holland said.
With Hillsboro Beach officials and district representatives on hand, Capt. Woodworth Draughon swung the bottle on the string, then swung it again, shattering the glass against the ladder.
The dredge was ready for duty.
Elizabeth Roberts can be reached at eroberts@tribune. com or 954-574-5311.
source: sun-sentinel.com
link to the original post:
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/broward/sfl-fldredge1130nenov30,0,1210953.story
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