Posted on April 14, 2025
The Army Corps of Engineers said the dredged sand used for beach replenishment near the resort area isn’t adequate. Thus the project’s machinery is sitting idle.
VIRGINIA BEACH — Patches of dull, grayish-black sand cover the beach near the water’s edge at 23rd Street. The dark sections stand out in contrast to the bright tan grains closer to the Boardwalk.
In the distance, machinery for a beach replenishment project sits idle.
The effort to fight erosion and protect Virginia Beach’s shoreline has stopped because the dredged sand being placed in the resort area is not “beach quality,” according to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Norfolk District, which is overseeing the project.
The grains are too fine, and they’re washing away, Corps spokesperson Mark Haviland said this week.
And while unsightly, the dark-colored sand is safe, Haviland said.
“We’re not concerned about contamination,” he said.
The sand being dredged from the Atlantic Ocean Channel in Norfolk for Virginia Beach Oceanfront’s beach replenishment is too fine and discolored. As seen Wednesday, April 9, 2025.
The beach replenishment project began in January. Manson Construction Co. has placed sand between 19th and 23rd streets, but the contractor halted about two weeks ago when the quality issue became apparent, according to Haviland.
The dredged sand is coming from the Atlantic Ocean Channel, where the Corps is deepening it for use by large container vessels calling on the Port of Virginia.
It’s part of the “Wider, Deeper, Safer” dredging project, which will deepen the Inner Harbor channels to 55 feet, Chesapeake Bay’s Thimble Shoal Channel to 56 feet and the Atlantic Ocean Channel to 59 feet. The Thimble Shoal Channel also will be widened up to 1,400 feet in select areas, allowing for ultra-large container vessel two-way traffic.
Haviland said the contractor originally raised concerns that the grain quality was an issue.
“If the sand is too fine, not only will it wash away quicker, it won’t have the color consistency that we normally put on the beach,” he said.
Virginia Beach has previously received sand dredged from a navigational channel in the Chesapeake Bay — including in 2019. City and Corps officials applaud the dual purpose effort known as “beneficial placement.”
The Corps periodically tests sand in the Atlantic Ocean Channel to ensure it meets Virginia water quality standards, Haviland said. Samples are now being taken to determine if beach quality sand is available in another area of the channel.
The replenishment project is costing $20 million with the Corps contributing $13 million. Virginia Beach is investing $7 million.
City staff receives a weekly report on the project. The Corps recently notified them that some of the material doesn’t meet beach standards, and that the project has paused, city spokesperson Ali Weatherton wrote in an email Tuesday.
Meanwhile, the work to deepen the channel is continuing with some of the sand being deposited offshore, Haviland said.
In total, roughly 950,000 cubic yards of sand will be placed between 15th and 45th streets. Manson had planned to wrap up the work in the resort area by June 1, and then move to Croatan Beach, but the schedule may need to be adjusted.
“Once we have the sampling results it will give us a better idea of what the schedule looks like,” Haviland said.
