In the early 1920s, dredging and filling along the western edge of Lake Worth Lagoon adjacent to what is now the City of Lake Worth Municipal Golf Course left a series of oxygen-poor deep holes which accumulated many feet of silt and muck, contributing to poor water quality and providing minimal habitat value. Over the last five years, Palm Beach County has worked with the City of Lake Worth and other partners to eliminate erosion and create a natural shoreline in this area now known as the Snook Islands Natural Area. First, all the exotic plant species – Australian pine, Brazilian pepper and seaside mahoe were removed from five acres of shoreline. Approximately 1.2 million cubic yards of spoil material from Peanut Island was placed in the inter- and sub-tidal zones and graded to wetland elevations to create mangrove islands and seagrass habitat.
The Snook Island project has effectively added 100 acres of good quality wetland habitat to the central part of Lake Worth Lagoon and is expected to improve the poor water quality in this area. Seagrasses are already recruiting in the shallow-water habitat, birds are utilizing the open areas of shoreline and mud flats, and fishermen have reported catching numerous large snook, redfish, snapper, jacks and flounder.
Coastal Resources
