Posted on December 28, 2017
By Terry Pope, stateportpilot.com
Oak Island received some verbal, though not formally written, support from county commissioners Monday for its request to become party to an existing federal permit for dredging and sand placement from the Lockwood Folly Inlet.
Commissioners would like to hear from Holden Beach, which already is party to that permit, before firing off a letter of support for Oak Island to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
Referred to as the SD15 permit, it authorizes navigation channel dredging and sand placement from shallow-draft inlets between Bogue Inlet and the South Carolina state line. That would include material from Lockwood Folly Inlet between Oak Island and Holden Beach.
“If Oak Island is added to the permit, that would mean more sand from those dredging operations could be placed on Oak Island as well as Holden Beach,” Steve Stone, deputy county manager, told county commissioners.
Oak Island had asked the county, as an interested party, to send the corps a letter of support for its application. If both towns become party to the permit, Stone said, it would mean that sand from future dredging projects would need to be allocated between the two towns “on a rational and equitable basis.”
Holden Beach became party to the permit three years ago, but Oak Island at that time had not formed a comprehensive strategy to its beach renourishment projects. It now wants in on the plan.
“The likely most cost-effective way to allocate sand placement would be by alternating between the islands on subsequent projects rather than placing sand on both islands in the same project,” noted Stone, “though there could be exceptions to the general rule.”
However, District 2 commissioner Marty Cooke noted that the Town of Holden Beach hasn’t provided the county with feedback on Oak Island’s request. Cooke asked Stone if he had any conversations with Holden Beach officials.
Stone said he had spoken with Holden Beach town manager David Hewett about Oak Island’s request.
“He said, from his chair, it’s not something that he professionally favors,” said Stone, “but it’d be up to his board to decide.”
County commissioners chairman Frank Williams noted that both beach towns are within the county’s jurisdiction.
“We’re basically weighing-in to give Oak Island the same opportunities that Holden Beach has,” said Williams.
District 4 commissioner Mike Forte stated he was in favor of support for Oak Island, as did District 3 commissioner Pat Sykes. Any sand placement from dredging would be subject to state and federal rules and include rigorous engineering analysis of the likely impacts of the dredge operations and sand placement, added Stone.
“At this time, we do not envision that the county would become a party to the permit,” Stone noted, “though it would continue to be at the board’s discretion as to whether or not it financially participates in any projects that are conducted under the permit authority.”
Commissioners voted 5-0 to table the request until their next meeting on January 16; the board canceled its January 2 meeting Monday. A majority of commissioners appeared ready to approve the letter of support but agreed with Cooke to await input from Holden Beach.
“My view is, I’m going to support it regardless,” added chairman Williams.
Dredge funding
Commissioners did vote unanimously Monday to authorize the transfer of $168,000 to the N.C. Division of Water Resources as the required local match for a project to dredge the navigation channel at the Lockwood Folly Inlet and to request half of that, or $84,000, in reimbursement from Holden Beach.
The corps plans to dredge the channel 10 feet deep and 100 feet wide to begin in late January. The work will be performed by the hopper dredge Currituck, so there will be nearshore placement of beach-quality sand for Holden Beach. The dredge is on a 14-day schedule with plans to pump 40,000 cubic yards of sand.
Stone told commissioners the corps indicated it won’t be feasible to share the sand with Oak Island because of the travel distance involved and limited time the Currituck will be available. Nor would it be feasible for all of the sand to be placed nearshore on Oak Island for the same reason.
The total project cost is $504,000, with two-thirds paid by the state’s Shallow Draft Navigation Fund. Stone said local funding should be submitted to the N.C. Division of Water Resources by late-December or early January to allow sufficient time for the state to forward payment to the corps.
“If we do this, the sand is going onto Holden Beach,” said Forte. “The next time around, if we approve it, Oak Island is going to give us $84,000.”
Commissioner Sykes said continual dredging of the inlet could end up a waste of county money unless something permanent is planned for the future. Some residents have lobbied the county to obtain its own dredge or to seek permits for jetties or groins around the Lockwood Folly Inlet to keep the channel from filling in with sand.
“There could be some more study,” said Stone, “but realistically that would probably be something that wouldn’t happen until five years in the future.”
District 1 commissioner Randy Thompson said there may be up to eight county entities who would be interested in sharing the cost of operating a dredge.
“If we invested a little time and research to see if we could get a dredge and lease to others around us to offset the cost, it might be worth it,” said Thompson.
It still would cost about $15,000 a day to operate a dredge, Forte noted.
Source: stateportpilot.com
