Chincoteague Inlet Maintenance Dredging Complete

The Norfolk Engineer District dredged approximately 80000 cubic yards of beach quality sand from the Chincoteague Inlet in March to prepare the waterway for the 2011 fishing season. On Virginia’s Eastern Shore the Chincoteague Inlet is the gateway to the largest commercial port on the Eastern Shore handling more than 3000 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. The Corps Dredge Currituck worked for 21 days to remove potentially hazardous shoals from the inlet bottom. |!|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.

The Norolk District has posted a video interview with local fishermen on the following link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x-0iqsZt8UI