Posted on June 3, 2026
BoatU.S. and a diverse team of marine stakeholder partners drum up continual federal funding to hold off a relentless, naturally occurring phenomenon
Breach Inlet is a narrow, shallow tidal waterway near Charleston Harbor passed by seasonal snowbird cruisers heading north or south, as well as local dayboaters and anglers on the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway, or AIWW. This South Carolina inlet is notorious for shoaling problems as material moves from the ocean through the inlet to settle in the AIWW.
Running the waterway in this area is markedly safer this season after the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers dredged some 700,000 cubic yards of sand over the winter and spring. The completed project marks the latest success by waterway advocates to coordinate dredging projects holistically along the entire 1,200 miles of protected water on this nautical highway that runs from Norfolk, Virginia, all the way down to Florida’s Key West. “Breach Inlet is the fastest shoaling area in South Carolina, and one of the fastest shoaling areas along the entire marine highway, so this area would probably become unnavigable pretty quickly,” says Brad Pickel, executive director of the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway Association, a national nonprofit dedicated to securing funding and support for the maintenance of the AIWW. “In years past, there would be sections where boaters had to wait for a high tide to pass. What we’ve done over the past decade is identify the critical areas like Breach Inlet – which we know we need to dredge every two to three years – and make sure they are scheduled and funded appropriately.”
Partners & Allies
Longtime snowbirds remember the more challenging migrations of past years, including 2014 when the Army Corps received zero funding for dredging. “When it comes to government advocacy, it’s never one and done,” Pickel explains, “requiring us to meet with our elected officials on an annual basis to stress the importance of maintaining the complete length of the waterway.” By “us,” he means AIWA, BoatU.S., and a network of partners with a vested interest in keeping “Marine Interstate for fiscal years 2024 and 2025. The Trump administration proposed to reduce the Corps’ FY27 maintenance budget to $6.6 billion, however, Congress will likely approve it at a higher level. This will be an ongoing budget fight, as dredging and maintenance of our waterways is critical to provide marine commercial businesses – and all boaters – safe navigation.
