ICW/New River Dredging Project Kicks Off

Channel maintenance dredging began yesterday evening for the ICW/New River Navigation and Channel Maintenance Project.

The Onslow County/North Topsail Beach joint project consists of performing channel maintenance dredging along approximately 10,600 linear feet (approximately two miles) of existing navigation channels within the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway (AIWW) in the vicinity of the New River as well as in the channel within the New River extending from the AIWW to Jacksonville, the New River/AIWW Crossing, and Cedar Bush Cut.

The beach compatible material will be placed within a disposal area along the northern oceanfront shoreline at North Topsail Beach.

Historically, the Army Corps of Engineers dredged these waterways to keep them open for navigation and placed the beach compatible material on the north end of North Topsail Beach.

Over the last few years Federal funding has not been available to perform these types of projects. As far back as 2012 the Town of North Topsail Beach and Onslow County began working with the coastal engineering firm, Coastal Planning & Engineering, to obtain permits to dredge this area.

Permits were obtained and funding was made available through the State of North Carolina’s Shallow Draft Inlet Fund. Originally projects receiving funds from the Shallow Draft Inlet Fund were to receive 50 percent of the project’s cost from the State. A 2015 N.C. General Assembly Session Law (SL 2015-241) increased the State’s share to 66 2/3 percent.

The Town of North Topsail Beach and Onslow County are splitting the remaining 33 1/3 percent. The estimated cost of this project is $2,450,000.

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