Waterway Management:

Navigation Maintenance and Dredging

Waterways Steering Committee

February 15, 2011

Why do we dredge?

9 What it does do…

9 Improve and
maintain navigation
9 Improve drainage
o What it doesn’t do..
o Reduce flooding
(flood surge levels
doesn’t change)

February 15, 2011 Dredging and Navigation Slide 2

1
 Nature of Dredging Costs

Federal funds maintain

federally designated
channels (e.g Hampton
Waterfront)
Essential for
maintenance of existing
navigation channels
Discretionary for new
non-federal projects
New projects create
“maintenance tail”
Currently funded from
City’s Capital Budget
Costs are borne by all
citizens, benefits limited
to a smaller group.
February 15, 2010 Dredging and Navigation Slide 3

Benefits and Costs

Benefits
Enhanced navigation
g & recreation
Maintenance of waterfront
residential tax base
Enhanced economic activity
Costs
2010/2011 estimated cost of
dredging: $1.48M. Anticipate
averaging $500K per year in the
next 10 years.
Environmental impacts
Opportunity costs for other
projects not funded
February 15, 2011 Dredging and Navigation Slide 4

2
 Municipal Project Dredging Beneficiaries

Transient boaters
Value of purchases
Resident boaters
Boat supplies and slips
but no boat tax
Waterfront Property Owners
Navigation
Na igation benefits
Increased property value

February 15, 2011 Dredging and Navigation Slide 5

Waterfront Tax Base

3.8+% of the total

number of single
family residential
units (1470 units)
7.5+% of assessed
value of single family
residential ($568M)
and tax receipts
($5.91M)

February 15, 2011 Dredging and Navigation Slide 6

3
 SUNSET CREEK

July 14, 2010 Waterway Management Slide 7

Profile of Municipal Dredging

1. Salt Ponds Inlet. Small boat entrance channel.

Dredged annually
annually. Average cost: $300
$300,000
000
2. Gosnold Hope Park – small boat navigation channel
with ramp. Last dredged: 2008 $ 200,000
3. Back River Channel – small boat navigation. Last
dredged: 2010, $ 800,000
4. Hampton River (Upper Reaches) – small boat
navigation. Currently underway, $ 872,000.

February 15, 2011 Dredging and Navigation Slide 8

4
 Waterways Not Recently Dredged

5. Indian River
5
6. Mill Creek
7. Harris Creek
8. SW Branch,
Back River
9. Long g Creek
10. Dandy Point*
* State project

February 15, 2010 Dredging and Navigation Slide 9

Major Waterway Dredging Cost

Status of Dredging of Major Waterways 

Project Previously Dredged Future Schedule Prev. Cost Future Cost (2010)

Hampton River 2010 FY2030 $872K $2.2M
Gosnold’s Hope Park Ramp Channel
p p 1986 and 2008 FY 2032 $200K
$ $200K
$
Indian Creek Not Dredged FY2013? $2.1M
FY2035 $2.1M
Mill Creek Not Dredged Not Scheduled
Long Creek 1957 Not Scheduled Not known
Harris Creek Not Dredged Not Scheduled  . 
S.W. Branch Back River Not Dredged Not scheduled
Salt Ponds Channel Ent. 2005 $200K
2006 $350K
2008 $118K
2009 $350K
FY2011‐14 $350K/YR.
Harris Creek
Harris Creek Not scheduled
Not scheduled
Wallace Creek Not scheduled
Back River 2010 FY 2020 $800K $800K
Salt Ponds Channel 1980 Not available
FY2011 proposed Not available $250K
Sunset Creek Not known Not scheduled Not known
Dandy Point Channel 1980’s State project Not Available Not known

February 15, 2011 Dredging and Navigation Slide 10

5
 Hampton River

4.26 miles of
navigation
channels for
motor craft
Main stem and
ancillaries
489 single family
waterfront
residences

February 15, 2011 Dredging and Navigation Slide 11

Gosnold Hope Park Channel

2,700+ long small

b t channel
boat h l ffor
motor craft
Serves city boat
ramp and
Riverpoint canal
residents
Last dredged
2008

July 14, 2010 Waterway Management Slide 12

6
 Salt Ponds

Entrance channel and

basin
83 single family
waterfront property
owners
Major marina complex
Sailing center for Ches
Bay
Frequent maintenance
dredging required at
entrance

February 15, 2011 Dredging and Navigation Slide 13

Back River

Primarily an access
channel
serves several marinas
Last dredged in 2010

July 14, 2010 Waterway Management Slide 14

7
 Long Creek/Grundland Creek
2.9+ mile
small boat
channel
Serves
Grandview
neighborhood
99 single
family
f il
waterfront
owners

February 15, 2011 Dredging and Navigation Slide 15

Harris Creek

2.1 mile
waterwayy
No formal
channel in
head

February 15, 2011 Dredging and Navigation Slide 16

8
 Wallace Creek

Small boat
channel
Serves Dandy
Point and Belle
Isle marina
areas

February 15, 2011 Dredging and Navigation Slide 17

Sunset Creek

3,000 ft channel and

canal
Serves marinas and
commercial traffic

February 15, 2011 Dredging and Navigation Slide 18

9
 Indian Creek

No access to
Hampton Roads
Primarily a
stormwater control
and drainage
feature

July 14, 2010 Waterway Management Slide 19

Permits and Regulatory Agencies

February 15, 2011 Dredging and Navigation Slide 20

10
 Regulatory Policies Governing Dredging

Policy Restrictions:
‰ Dredging in mudflats highly discouraged
‰ Dredging for drainage maintenance
li it d
limited
‰ Channel widths and depths limited to
minimum necessary for intended use
‰ Dredging of tidal wetlands not generally
approved
‰ “4X buffer” rule of offset from wetlands
‰ Important marine resources (submerged
q
aquatic g
vegetation and shellfish beds))
must be avoided
‰ “Double handling” of material
discouraged
‰ Limitations of where dredge material can
be placed
February 15 , 2011 Dredging and Navigation Slide 21

Community Issues

How should we view our waterways?

‰ public highways & economic engines, or
‰ natural features to be improved at private
expense
Who pays..who benefits?
‰ greater community benefit, or
‰ limited benefits focused on a few?
‰ How can we align beneficiaries with cost?
Where should dredging be in community
priorities?
Are there new projects which create community
benefits?
How can the City limit dredging costs?
How can we create long term stable funding for
navigation maintenance projects?
February 15, 2011 Dredging and Navigation Slide 22

11
July 14, 2010 Waterway Management Slide 23

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