The city is leaning toward removing the sand from the point, Taylor said. Even though the DEP hasn't permitted the project, it has encouraged the city to solicit bids to manufacture and place the geotextile tubes, according to Taylor. He told council members permits should be in place by the time the tubes are ready to be installed. City officials believe permitting and bids can be completed in two to four weeks and construction can start a day or two later. The city used geotubes once before at the tip of Norriego Point, but despite the city's past success in trapping sand, Taylor doesn't expect a repeat performance from the new tubes.
Waves impinge on that area and make it difficult for sand to accrete.
Another problem is that the jetty configuration creates faster currents on the east side of the pass, further eroding the point. Taylor, who is also chairman of the East Pass Inlet Management Study, said he is trying to find long-term solutions to the conditions that cause shoaling in East Pass and erosion along Norriego Point. Speculation has centered on a seawall along the point as the answer. The study should be completed within the next year.