The US Coast Guard is overseeing the removal of 56 aids to navigation in the Virginia Inside Passage on Virginia’s Eastern Shore from June to August. Dayboards in waterways from Gargathy Inlet to north of Great Machipongo Inlet are being removed, after shoaling in these areas created a hazard to navigation.
The shoaling within these shallow-draft waterways indicated that they are no longer safely marked. This can be misleading and put the safety of mariners at risk. Moreover, the shoaling prevents the US Coast Guard from accessing the aids to navigation to maintain them.
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USCG identified the 166 aids most likely to cause dangerous. After testing a number removal methods, the US Coast Guard contracted a local business to remove the first 56 markers beginning June 1. The remaining aids will be removed in 2019.
uscg, Army Corps of Engineers and Eastern Shore Regional Waterways Committee continue to identify future areas for dredging. Providing that funding is available to dredge the waterways and a minimum of 6 feet can be achieved, USCG will consider re-marking them.
Capt. Rick Wester, commander, Coast Guard Sector Hampton Roads, commented on the occasion:
When aids to navigation become a potential hazard to navigation, it is our responsibility to remove them. We appreciate all of the public input we have received on this project, and we’ll continue to fully advertise the timeline for removal of specific aids via the Local Notice to Mariners.
