Dredging of the Chincoteague Inlet federal navigation channel is complete for this year. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ Dredge Currituck worked for 21 days to remove potentially hazardous shoals from the inlet bottom and now is underway to its next project.

Over the course of the next two weeks Norfolk District survey vessels will use SONAR to get a detailed look at the navigation channel to ensure the sandbars forming on the bottom have been removed.

“We have a pretty good idea that the Currituck got the problem areas removed, but we use the survey vessels as a confirmation; as well as we can determine exactly how much sand was removed and how deep the channel is after dredging ,” said Gregg Williams, Norfolk District dredging project manager.

Depending on funding, the inlet portion of the channel is scheduled to be dredged again next year, ensuring the Chincoteague Inlet federal navigation channel will remain safe and open for commercial and recreational watercraft.

The Chincoteague Inlet is the gateway to the largest commercial port on the Eastern Shore, handling more than 3,000 vessels a year, including U.S. Coast Guard vessels. The annual project was approved in 1972 by the chief of engineers under the authority of Section 107 of the River and Harbor act of July 14, 1960.

By Patrick Bloodgood

Reprinted from Dredging Today