Washington, D.C. – In a letter this week to U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Chief of Engineers and Commanding General, Lieutenant General Robert L. Van Antwerp, Congressman Walter B. Jones (R-NC) urged the approval of U.S. Army Corps of Engineers – Wilmington District’s request to replace one of the Corps’ sidecaster dredges with a new special purpose shallow draft dredge.

“I believe strongly that the Corps should have an in-house (Currituck type) dredge capable of supplementing the private dredge fleet in maintaining safe navigation through shallow draft coastal inlets along the Atlantic Coast and the Gulf of Mexico,” Congressman Jones wrote.

“As you may know, in 2006 Corps Headquarters initially approved the Wilmington District’s request to replace one of its sidecaster dredges with a special purpose (Currituck type) dredge. Dredge design was completed in 2007. However, later that year Corps Headquarters delayed the project . . .” Jones continued.

“Unfortunately, the lack of backup shallow draft dredging capacity has impacted the economy of my Eastern North Carolina congressional district. Commercial fishing is one of the primary economic engines in this region, and fishermen depend on safe passage through Oregon Inlet to access Atlantic fishing grounds. That access is now blocked because the private dredge under contract with the Corps arrived two months late, and the Corps had no sufficient in-house dredging capacity to work on the channel until the private dredge arrived,” Jones wrote.

“At a time of economic crisis, job creators like our commercial fishermen should not be prevented from working because the waterways they depend on are impassable. To help rectify this situation, I strongly encourage the Corps to proceed with the Wilmington District’s proposal to construct a new special purpose shallow draft dredge,” Jones concluded.

For additional information, or to schedule an interview with Congressman Walter B. Jones, please contact Kathleen Joyce at (202) 225-3415.