Northampton approves design phase of Oyster Project

Northampton County is moving forward with the design phase of a flood resiliency project in the community of Oyster after securing nearly all funding needed for the estimated $3 million effort.

The project, commonly referred to as the “Oyster Project,” would involve construction of a protective berm and bulkhead system designed to reduce flooding in the low-lying community.

According to County Administrator Matt Spuck, the proposed berm would surround the town and elevate protection to approximately 6.5 feet, which he said is about three feet above a king tide level.

“The purpose of it is to keep the flooding down,” Spuck told supervisors during at Tuesday’s meeting.

Spuck said some residents had raised concerns about whether the project would work effectively given Oyster’s geography and proximity to the shoreline. He discussed those concerns with engineers working on the proposal.

According to Spuck, engineers explained that nearby beach elevations are already higher than the proposed bulkhead in some areas, reducing concerns that water would simply bypass the structure. He also said the design includes drainage infrastructure intended to prevent water from becoming trapped inside the protected area.

“My other concern was that we were making a kind of a fish bowl here where the water’s going to get in and stay in,” Spuck said. “They showed me pictures where it actually is designed with the infrastructure to drain.”

The project is currently only in the engineering and design phase.

Funding for the design work comes primarily through grants administered by the The Nature Conservancy, along with support from Virginia’s Flood Preparedness Fund.

Spuck said grant applications totaling roughly $3 million, approximately $1.5 million each for the berm and bulkhead components, were submitted by The Nature Conservancy on behalf of the county and the organization itself.

Initially, Northampton County was expected to provide a 10% cash match totaling about $147,400. However, Spuck later learned additional grant funding from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation would cover nearly all of that amount.

“So this $3 million project is fully funded except for $10,000,” Spuck said, adding that the remaining amount could likely be covered through in-kind staff time and permitting work.

Spuck also addressed criticism that the project represented a misuse of taxpayer money. He said the grant funding is specifically earmarked for resiliency and flood mitigation efforts and could not simply be redirected toward unrelated county needs.

“These dollars are designated for this purpose,” he said. “They’re not going to be reused for anything else other than a project like this.”

Several supervisors voiced support for continuing the planning process, describing the project as low-risk given the outside funding support.

Supervisor Jon Dempster of Cape Charles compared public concerns surrounding the Oyster Project to previous criticism over funding for the Eastern Shore Rails to Trails initiative, arguing that grant programs are often restricted to specific uses.

Supervisors unanimously approved moving forward with the design phase only.

Spuck estimated the engineering and design process could take roughly a year to complete before county leaders would have enough information to evaluate possible future construction decisions.

He also noted that similar berm systems are already operating successfully in other parts of Virginia, including Norfolk, according to engineers.