With over 200 miles of Chesapeake Bay shoreline, being able to navigate its waterways is extremely important to the residents of Mathews County. Amid concerns about those waterways becoming increasingly difficult to navigate, supervisors are contemplating asking for help from Richmond and Washington.
The Mathews County Board of Supervisors, during its July 25 meeting, discussed the idea of sending a letter to state and federal legislative representatives asking for support with maintaining local waterways.
Two county residents—Craig Mulligan, who operates a marina on Davis Creek in Bavon, and Mike Walls, who lives on Stutts Creek at Hudgins—asked the board for help. Mulligan said that he had been told by the U.S. Army Corps of Army Engineers a number of years ago that Davis Creek was next on the list for dredging, but had recently found out that, while Davis Creek is slated to have its lateral markers removed and replaced with Danger signs, Queens Creek is going to be dredged next year.
Comments on the plan to remove the lateral markers in Davis Creek should be made before Monday, Aug. 7, to Albert Grimes at CGD5Waterways@uscg.mil.
“If this county doesn’t do something about our waterways, we’ll be in a big bind,” said Mulligan.
Walls told the board that he had requested help last year when he had learned that the lateral markers in Hole in the Wall were on the list to be discontinued and replaced with warning markers. He said he had been told by the Coast Guard that if he could show them six feet of water at a buoy, the lateral markers wouldn’t be removed.
“I showed them six feet, two inches,” said Walls. “And when I went out this Fourth of July weekend, there were danger markers.”
Walls said he had heard that Davis Creek was next, and that even the Queens Creek dredging project was “on the chopping block.”
“We need to make some kind of statement,” he said. “We’re spending thousands trying to get tourism, and they’re shutting the waterways down. We need to take a stand.”
During the board’s discussion of the matter, Mathews Planning and Zoning Director Thomas Jenkins said that the Coast Guard hadn’t even opened a public comment period before changing the markers at Hole in the Wall. He said he had lobbied the Coast Guard about retaining the lateral markers in Davis Creek and had encouraged residents to do so, as well. But he said “they seem pretty set that they will not mark a channel that isn’t safe.”
Supervisor Charles Ingram questioned how the county will attract visitors with danger signs marking local waters and suggested writing a resolution and sending it to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ commanding officer. He also suggested sending it to Rep. Rob Wittman (R-Montross) and Virginia Sens. Mark Warner and Tim Kaine and asking other localities to join Mathews in the effort.
“We need help here,” said Ingram. “That Hole in the Wall serves about six creeks.”
Supervisor O.J. Cole said he had talked with Del. Keith Hodges (R-Urbanna) as well as to Wittman and his aide, Joe Schumacher, asking for a solution to the problem. He said a letter should also be sent to the commandant of the Coast Guard and the director of Homeland Security.
Board chairman Jack White said that a change in the law has shifted the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ focus from the number of trips made in a waterway to the amount of tonnage.
“We will never qualify,” White said. “We have to rely on ourselves, with help from the commonwealth.”
County Administrator Mindy Conner said that the county needs to focus on both dredging the channels and marking them. “As the channels silt in,” she said, “we will continue to have problems with navigational marking.”
Jenkins said that the Army Corps has money for Queens Creek, but that he hadn’t received a letter saying that one creek takes precedence over another.
Supervisor G.C. Morrow said that part of the answer is that dredging Queens Creek will allow the Coast Guard to get its own boats out of Milford Haven.
Cole expressed concern for local marinas losing business, and said that people coming up and down the coast need a safe haven.
“I agree it’s fundamental to our survival,” said White.
During public comment period, Harvey Hamm of Green Road introduced himself as a recent Coast Guard retiree and offered to speak to officials in the Coast Guard on the county’s behalf.
“If it’s on the chopping block, you’ve got to act fast,” he said. “It’s easier to stop something like this than go back and start doing it again.”
White took Hamm up on his offer and asked that he and Mike Walls start a working group to look at the problem.
Other navigational aids news
According to the USCG’s Local Notice to Mariners for Week 31, the Coast Guard plans to relocate Milford Haven East Lighted Buoy 1 to 37 23 29.290N–76 10 27.900W and rename it Wolf Trap Lighted Buoy 1WT. Comments should be made before Tuesday, Aug. 8 to Albert Grimes at CGD5Waterways@uscg.mil.