Jerry Sansom, commissioner of the Florida Inland Navigation District, said the dredging was a cooperative venture to make the creek easier to navigate. The project was started in 2006 by American Environmental Contractors Inc. but had to be stopped when manatees returned to the creek.

This spring, the city continued with a cheaper, shallower channel from the Indian River Lagoon to the Port Malabar bridge, finished by Intracoastal Marina of Melbourne Inc. A 10-foot-deep sump was installed near the bridge to capture some of the sand.

The dredged material, mostly sand, was reshaped and seeded at Goode Park and Twin Lakes. Florida Tech will study the effectiveness of the project.

The total cost of the dredging, including engineering and monitoring, was more than $700,000.

"It is unlikely that the city will be able to fund a project of this magnitude in the near future; however, we may be able to accomplish the construction objective by maintaining the sump that was constructed just downstream from the bridge," City Manager Lee Feldman wrote the council in a memo.

The city is asking FIND for a matching grant of up to $62,500 to consolidate its dredging permits in anticipation of future needs. Permits and modifications from the Army Corps of Engineers and the Florida Department of Environmental Protection has resulted in "12 different permits with varying conditions, methods and expiration dates," Feldman said.

In another FIND grant, the city received $33,000 to install lighting at the public boat ramps at Goode and Pollak parks. The city will match that amount in its capital improvement plan funds.

"The addition to low-level lighting on the ramps will provide security and safety for boaters using the facilities," Feldman said.

Contact Jump at 409-1423 or ljump@floridatoday.com.