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Bye Bye Upham

Upham is "Groin"
to change


History of Treasure Island - Awesome past and present day pic.

Upham's Joint Permit From The Governor's Office


Well the groins are approved. November 2004 is the projected date of construction. What is a groin? A groin is a man made structure that extends from the shoreline out into the water to collect sediment. Longshore drift and current moves parallel to the shore, while the groins are perpendicular to the shore. The waves hit the beach at an angle. As a result of all of this, there is sediment deposited on one side of the groin, while sediment is eroded on the other side. Initially, one might jump at the idea of groins, but groins are not without their problems.If Upham gets 5 groins, they will indeed need more to stop the erosion elsewhere down the beach. In Upham's case they will be constructed out of sandbags. This way if the outcome is not what was expected, they can be removed.What will this do to the Infamous "point break" known as Upham? I don't think anyone clearly knows! Hopefully something good. The break upham has been on a trend of getting worse every year. I think it is about time for a change. The point it is at now, seems like anything will be better.

The plan is to construct five sandbag groins to extend up to 400 feet into the water. Typically they are to be placed 100 ft apart down the shore line. Many other places who received the costal makeover have become world renown surfing spots, i.e. Westport Washington, and the Wedge in California just to name a few. Of coarse we are dealing with the Gulf here but who knows, this could make Upham a truly stand out spot in west Florida.
But with the erosion being the county's main concern. Even if the groins are beneficial for the surf, if the southern beaches start to erode at a faster rate then they will be removed. That will suck to get a taste of Upham's potential and then have it taken from us. But on the other hand the break could be ruined and the erosion be cured and then the groins wont be going anywhere.It is a gamble and only time will tell.
In everyone's best interest, we hope that the groins fulfill there purpose and stop the erosion problem and make the surf the best Upham has ever seen.


Above is a picture T-groins used at another coast line.
This is similar to what Upham will see.

If Upham's surf is ruined and everyone flocks to Sunset Beach, I don't think I will even post our location anymore. The crowds are HUGE as it is, and Upham's crowd moving elsewhere will have impact on the other local breaks. Hopefully we will not, lose what some believe is the best, most consistent NW break in Pinellas period.
Upham beach has a beautiful environment, and cluttering it with manmade junk really destroys the natural beauty (And surf?) of it all. This could eventually change the face of St. Pete Beach as we know it.