The channel at Hole in the Wall was surveyed last week as part of a project to place new channel markers at this southern entrance to Milford Haven and the Chesapeake Bay.
On July 1, U.S. Coast Guard personnel out of Station Milford Haven worked alongside local fisherman Mike Walls to survey the channel.
According to Senior Chief Petty Officer (BMCS) Mark Emerson, the purpose of the operation was to “use local knowledge to identify a routine path for better water through the channel. This includes the future use of floating navigational aids in place of some structures that are currently there.”
Emerson, Petty Officer First Class (BM1) Karl Niedermeyer and Seaman (SN) Timothy Darley and Walls set about to determine the current depth and state of the channel. Walls frequently uses the channel to quickly reach fishing grounds in the Chesapeake Bay and states that he is one of the few civilians currently trying to preserve access to this channel.
“If the channel is lost it adds miles and hours to every trip watermen take to the bay,” Walls said. He went on to say that alternate routes around Gwynn’s Island to reach the bay would increase operating costs for commercial watermen, as they would have to run their motors longer and burn more fuel to reach the same location. This cost, while not necessarily prohibitive for watermen, would make local seafood more expensive to harvest.
In terms of the status of the channel, Emerson stated that “the channel has changed quite a bit over the last two years.” He said that shoaling was more prominent and the channel has narrowed as a result of storms and erosion of the sandbars above water. He said storms have the potential to open or close the channel further depending on weather conditions, but that the proposed dredging of the channel needs to be done now.
One factor stalling action on this issue is that the proposed dredging is not eligible for federal money. According to Emerson, this project is not considered a federal issue and the Army Corps of Engineers is therefore unavailable. He said that there are two other options for funding the dredging. The first would be for a private company or industry that sees the maintenance of the channel as a necessary and profitable aspect of their business to pay for the dredging. The second, and far more likely, option according to Emerson, is that a new or increased local tax would have to be levied to fund the dredging program.
Of upcoming changes, the “Danger” marker as well as markers 6 and 8 will be removed and replaced with floating buoys since the aforementioned markers are no longer correct as a result of channel shifting. “We are going to add floating aids since many current channel markers are shoaled and no longer accurately reflect the channel,” Emerson stated.
There are hopes to coordinate a helicopter flyover in October or November to better assess the state of the channel, according to Emerson. He also stated that the Coast Guard has been working with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to try to have an accurate sounding done of the area to further assess the condition of the channel.
If funding cannot be secured for the dredging project, it is quite possible that periods of heavy rainfall, storms, or a hurricane could further fill in the channel, possibly making it unusable for commercial watermen and larger boats. Walls said that he was concerned that removal of the channel markers and lack of action could lead to partial or complete loss of use of the channel.
Walls added that he believed the loss of Hole in the Wall would have a negative impact on recreational boaters and commercial watermen alike. He went on to say that the increased fuel costs and loss of fishing time as a result of taking alternate routes could have serious consequences for those who rely on commercial fishing to make a living.