Posted on August 6, 2025
In a unanimous vote on Monday, the Dare County Board of Commissioners approved a motion to begin acquiring year-round dredging permits for the Rodanthe-Stumpy Point Emergency Ferry Channel, signaling a major shift in how the county will ensure access to Hatteras Island during storm events.
The move will allow the county to dredge the channel independently—using vessels like the Miss Katie or other equipment such as bucket-and-barge or pipeline dredges—without waiting for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, whose limited resources and red tape have delayed action in the past.
“They’re in a catch-22,” said County Manager Bobby Outten at Monday’s meeting. “They can’t request funds for dredging until they know something needs to be dredged, but they can’t know that it needs to be dredged until it’s too late to request the funding.”
“What is the solution to this? The solution [through the Corps] is if we ever had a storm and the channel was closed in and we couldn’t get a ferry in there, we would make an application for an emergency permit, and maybe we could get an emergency permit to let us go ahead and dredge,” said Outten. “But we don’t need to be waiting 30 days or 60 days or whatever it would take. After an event, we need to get the ferry running within the next day or two, and so that really didn’t seem like a viable option.”
The Rodanthe-Stumpy Point Emergency Ferry Channel provides a vital transportation lifeline to Hatteras Island when N.C. Highway 12 is washed out or inaccessible due to storms.
However, over the past several years, the channel has suffered from significant shoaling, rendering it impassable until a hastily scheduled dredging event occurs. In 2024, Dare County was forced to obtain emergency permits and hire a private contractor to reopen the route after it shoaled so badly that ferries couldn’t use it.
Grants and Waterways Administrator Barton Grover explained that the Corps currently lacks both the flexibility and assets to respond quickly. Their only available dredging vessel has too deep a draft to access Rodanthe Harbor, and, unless it’s an emergency, federal regulations restrict dredging to certain seasons—typically outside of hurricane season when the channel is most likely to be needed.
Under the approved plan, the county will contract with Coastal Protection Engineering of North Carolina (CPE) to acquire comprehensive dredging permits. These permits will allow Dare County to perform year-round maintenance dredging of the channel to a depth of 10 feet, using various types of equipment, depending on conditions and urgency.
“This sounda like absolute common sense,” said Commissioner Rob Ross during the meeting. “Why not license the Miss Katie with a permit and let us go?”
The total cost of obtaining the new permits is projected to be $123,164, with 75% expected to be covered by the state. The permitting process will also expand the list of approved sediment disposal areas, including open water sites in Pamlico Sound and a spoil site adjacent to Rodanthe Harbor
Cost savings are another driving factor in shifting dredging from the Corps’ to the county’s responsibility. According to Grover, a dredging project completed last year using a bucket-and-barge contractor cost the county around $100,000. The same work could have been done for just $20,000 with the Miss Katie, the county-partnered dredge that can handle shallow-draft projects.
By holding a standing permit, the county can preemptively maintain the channel or react immediately after a storm—dramatically cutting wait times and project costs.
The Dare County Waterways Commission had already endorsed the plan unanimously at its July meeting, and the Board vote followed suit on Monday with no dissent.
“This is a no-brainer,” said Commissioner Carson Creef.
The Board authorized the county manager to execute the contract with CPE and submit the required budget amendment and state funding request. Permitting work is expected to begin immediately, with applications submitted to state and federal agencies within 120 days.
Emergency ferry leaving Stumpy Point.
