Shore gets $27 million for dredging projects

The Eastern Shore got good news this week from the Army Corps of Engineers, as the Federal Government awarded $27 million for local dredging projects.

“Apparently, the FY23 Army Corps Workplan has been significantly funded after years of minimal federal funding,” said John Joeckel, the Chairmann of Eastern Shore Regional Navigable Waterways Committee. “All the federal navigation projects that we have been fighting for since the committee’s inception eight years ago have, for the most part, funds appropriated.”

Among the projects funded include $250,000 for the Chincoteague Harbor, $4 million for the Chincoteague Inlet, $4.2 million for Deep Creek, $2.2 million for the Little Machipongo River, $700,000 for Onancock Creek, $3.5 million for Parker Creek, $2.9 for Quinby Inlet, $1.7 million for Starlings Creek, $3.5 million for the Tangier Island Channel and $4.9 million for the waterway along the seaside of the Eastern Shore.

The Chincoteague Inlet dredging includes a beneficial use disposal, as the dredge sediment will be used to build up Assateague Island.

Several steps now must happen before the bucket can hit the mud, including surveys, drawings, plan development, permitting, bid and more. It will likely be another 12-18 months before any work begins.

“These federal funds do not of course include the potential funding for our state waterway projects from the Waterway Maintenance Funds, nor does this list include the coastal resilience projects for the Cedar Island CAP 204 project, but it does include the beneficial use of the Chincoteague Channel dredge sediment for Assateague and the $300,000 for the Tangier Island study concerning the potential $25 million Baltimore Channel dredge sediment, but does not include the $1.5 million for the in-depth beneficial use study for Tangier,” Joeckel added. “All in all, we are extremely fortunate.”