A draft operating agreement is under development to lay out the terms and conditions for a municipal dredging partnership for Gloucester, Mathews, and Middlesex counties on the Middle Peninsula and Accomack and Northampton counties on the Eastern Shore.

According to the September minutes of the Middle Peninsula Planning District Commission, Executive Director Lewie Lawrence met with Virginia Port Authority staff in September to discuss the $5 million the General Assembly allocated for the new program during its 2022 legislative session. Lawrence’s report in the minutes stated that he had begun working on a draft proposal for the purchase of dredging equipment and the funding of dredging operations.

In a subsequent interview, Lawrence said that the new program “has more potential to transform our communities than any other project we’ve undertaken.”

He explained that there are hundreds of creeks and rivers on the Middle Peninsula that need to be dredged, but up until now there...