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Itapema will deposit up to 498 thousand cubic meters of sand extracted from a deposit 19 km off the coast along 4.75 km of Meia Praia to widen the strip by up to 60 meters, a R$ 60 million project divided between the city hall and the State that begins in August 2026 with a four-month deadline.
Meia Praia in Itapema, on the North Coast of Santa Catarina, will receive between 416 thousand and 498 thousand cubic meters of sand extracted from an underwater deposit located 19 kilometers off the coast in a nourishment project that aims to expand the sand strip by 20 to 60 meters along 4.75 kilometers of coastline. The forecast was presented during Governor Jorginho Mello’s official agenda in Itapema this Wednesday (6), alongside Mayor Alexandre Xepa, when the State Government delivered the Installation Environmental License (LAI) issued by the Environmental Institute (IMA), a stage that allows the municipality to conclude the tender and proceed with the bidding for the R$ 60 million project, which is expected to begin in August 2026, after the closed season, with an estimated four-month deadline for completion before the summer season. The sand material to be deposited on the beach has, according to studies presented by the city hall, characteristics compatible with the native sand of Meia Praia, a condition required by environmental licensing to avoid changes in the coastal ecosystem.
The R$ 60 million investment will be divided between the Itapema City Hall, with R$ 30 million in its own funds, and the Government of the State of Santa Catarina, which confirmed the contribution during the event. The widening of the sand strip will take place in the stretch between the Perequê and Taboleiro das Oliveiras river jetties, extremities that delimit the 4.75 kilometers of Meia Praia where the sand will be deposited by dredgers that will bring the material from the underwater deposit to the coast, a coastal engineering operation that moves hundreds of thousands of cubic meters of sand within a period that the city hall estimates at four months between start and completion. “Our beach needs this expansion. The city grows, tourism increases, and the infrastructure needs to keep up. It is a project that protects the coastline, expands its use, and projects Itapema to a new level,” declared Mayor Alexandre Xepa during the announcement.
How the project will transport sand from the underwater deposit to Meia Praia
The beach nourishment process that Itapema will execute consists of removing sand from the seabed and depositing it on the coastal strip to expand the beach’s width. The sand deposit is located approximately 19 kilometers off the coast of Itapema, a distance that requires dredging operations with specialized vessels that suck sediment from the seabed, transport it in tanks to the vicinity of the beach, and pump the sand through pipelines to the deposition points along the 4.75 kilometers of coastline. The projected volume of 416 thousand to 498 thousand cubic meters of sand is equivalent to tens of thousands of dump truck trips if the material were transported by land, a scale that justifies the maritime operation and dimensions the scope of the intervention in Meia Praia.
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The variation between 20 and 60 meters in the additional sand width reflects the configuration differences along the 4.75-kilometer stretch. Points of Meia Praia where the sand strip is narrower will receive more material to achieve functional width, while sections that already have a wider strip will receive less sand, a distribution that technical studies defined to ensure a uniform and stable coastal profile along the entire length between the Perequê and Taboleiro das Oliveiras river jetties. The compatibility between the sand from the underwater deposit and the native beach sand is a technical and environmental requirement: granulometry, mineral composition, and color must be similar so that the deposited material integrates into the environment without causing perceptible visual or ecological alteration.
What motivated the project and what is the expected impact for Itapema
Meia Praia in Itapema is experiencing an accelerated real estate appreciation process that has transformed the city into one of the most expensive square meters on the Santa Catarina coast. Urban and tourist growth has increased pressure on a strip of sand that in some sections has become insufficient to absorb the flow of bathers during the summer season, and natural coastal erosion has worsened the situation over the years, a combination that led the city government to seek an engineering solution that would widen the beach before the problem compromised both its bathing quality and the tourist attractiveness that sustains the local economy. The Secretary of Government and Infrastructure of Itapema, Marcelo Correia, classified the intervention as a “structural work, planned based on technical and environmental studies,” emphasizing that the project ensures coastal security and creates a new front of development for the city.
Mayor Alexandre Xepa was direct in sizing up expectations for the project’s outcome: “After the widening, I have no doubt that it will be the most valued square meter in Brazil.” The mayor’s statement reflects an expectation shared by the local real estate market, because the expansion of the sand strip by up to 60 meters transforms the beach experience and adds perceived value to the developments multiplying along the Meia Praia waterfront. The expected real estate appreciation is an argument the municipality uses to justify the R$ 30 million investment from its own resources, a bet that the return in tax collection on real estate transactions and expanded tourist activity will compensate for the public expenditure over the years following the completion of the work.
What are the deadlines and steps remaining before the sand reaches the beach
The delivery of the Environmental Installation License by IMA was a decisive step that unlocked the project’s schedule. With the LAI in hand, the Itapema City Hall now needs to finalize the bidding notice, publish it, receive proposals, evaluate, and contract the company that will execute the dredging and sand deposition, a bidding process that the municipality plans to complete in time to start the work in August 2026, a date chosen because it is after the fishing closed season in the region, when large-scale activities in the marine environment are restricted to protect species reproduction. The four-month period starting in August would place the completion of the work between November and December 2026, a window compatible with the goal of having Meia Praia widened before the start of the summer season.
The timeline is ambitious and depends on factors that the city hall does not fully control. Unfavorable meteorological and maritime conditions can delay the dredging operation, the bidding process may face appeals or challenges that postpone the hiring, and the availability of specialized dredging vessels in the market can affect the mobilization period, risks that are common in coastal engineering works and that the technical team will need to manage to fulfill the promise of delivering sand to the beach before summer. Governor Jorginho Mello reinforced the State’s commitment to the project by declaring that “Itapema is a prosperous city, which grows responsibly and deserves a present State,” and the event also included announcements of other investments totaling almost R$ 80 million for the municipality, including progress on the Morro do Encano Road works, new ICU beds, and construction of a state school.
And you, do you think the widening of Meia Praia will transform Itapema into the most expensive square meter in Brazil? Leave your opinion in the comments.
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