The mayor of Figueira da Foz, Pedro Santana Lopes, announced early in the evening of May 13 on his Facebook page that the APA – Portuguese Environment Agency – of the contract to reinforce the coastal section between Cova-Gala and Costa de Lavos, in the municipality of Figueira da Foz, with more than 3.3 million cubic meters of sediment, over a period of 120 days.
For the municipality of Figueira da Foz, this is a long-awaited project that will finally mitigate the impacts of coastal erosion, which has been increasingly evident in this coastal area of the municipality.
The municipality and the affected communities eagerly await the start of this project and the end of the days of anxiety and insecurity they have been experiencing.
In its statement, APA says that this is “a fundamental project to reinforce coastal protection in the area, which is particularly vulnerable and has a marked sediment deficit.”
The project, the largest artificial beach nourishment intervention ever carried out in Portugal, represents a total investment of €21.1 million (including VAT), which is financed by the Thematic Program for Climate Action and Sustainability (PACS), and also with the support of the Figueira da Foz Port Authority and the Figueira da Foz City Council, partners since 2018.
According to the APA: “The sediments will be dredged off Claridade beach and then placed in the emergent and submerged areas south of Cova-Gala breakwater 3. This operation aims to restore the coastline to 2011 levels, before the erosive impacts associated with the extension of the port´s north breakwater.”
The contractor also states that the “project was subject to an Environmental Impact Assessment, having obtained a Conditional Favorable Declaration, and includes rigorous monitoring and technical follow-up programs throughout the operation.”
Source: https://www.cm-figfoz.pt