County Questions Decision Regarding Inlet Shoaling Project

County Questions Decision Regarding Inlet Shoaling Project
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SNOW HILL– The news that a federal project to address Inlet shoaling has been abandoned has local officials seeking answers.

The Worcester County Commissioners this week agreed to request a meeting with representatives of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) following the agency’s recommendation not to move forward with improvements to the Inlet. According to county staff, the Corps determined the project was too expensive.

“Obviously we’re very disappointed,” said Bob Mitchell, the county’s director of environmental programs.

After years of complaints about shoaling problems in the Ocean City Inlet, a renewed commitment to the cause by local officials in 2017 prompted the USACE to begin considering improvements through the Continuing Authorities Program. Rather than the maintenance dredging that’s done regularly, USACE started looking for a long-term fix to the problem. In 2019, USACE shared plans for major improvements at the Inlet as well as a proposal to address a scour hole near Homer Gudelsky Park.

This week, however, Mitchell told the commissioners the Corps was not moving forward with the planned improvements.

“The scrapping of the project, after years of public meetings, planning sessions, modeling and design work did not meet their net economic benefit targets,” he wrote in a memo to the commissioners. “In short, a structural solution to the shoaling problem was found not to be feasible and dredging, specifically more frequent dredging, seems to be the least costly option at the present time.”

Mitchell said the decision was outlined in a presentation earlier this month that included county officials, Maryland Department of Natural Resources officials and National Park Service representatives. He said the USACE’s project modeling showed that a structural solution would only reduce dredging needs by 50%. That fact, combined with the high cost of the project—which is estimated at $16 million—was enough to lead USACE to the decision not to pursue it. As a result, the project agreement between USACE, Worcester County and DNR will be terminated.

“Going forward with a $16 million project with close to $8.5 million of the project costs that will need to be covered by the local partners (Worcester and MD DNR) was not something the Corps was willing to commit, especially in light of the updated modeling and the results from their economic analysis,” Mitchell wrote.

The commissioners’ decision Tuesday to reach out to USACE for an explanation came at Mitchell’s request.

“It would really be helpful for everybody involved, including the Town of Ocean City,” he said.

About The Author: Charlene Sharpe

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Charlene Sharpe has been with The Dispatch since 2014. A graduate of Stephen Decatur High School and the University of Richmond, she spent seven years with the Delmarva Media Group before joining the team at The Dispatch.