AICW/Mason Inlet Intersection – Click for Chartview

The wonderful message below contains some of the BEST news it has been our pleasure to post on the Salty Southeast Cruisers’ Net in quite some time. As you will see, the AICW/Bogue Inlet intersection, the AICW/Lockwoods Folly Inlet intersection and the AICW/Shallotte Inlet intersection, ALL of which are SSECN designated “AICW Problem Stretches,” are either being dredged, or will be dredged soon, and all this work is slated for completion by early April, 2014, just in time for the spring, 2014 transient season! Additionally, the developing shoal at the intersection of the Waterway and Mason Inlet, north of Wrightsville Beach, NC (280) will also be dredged.

AICW/Lockwoods Folly Intersection – Click For Chart View

FYI, our firm is currently under contract to dredge this intersection [AICW and Mason Inlet] of the AIWW in April of this year. We are presently dredging Bogue Inlet Crossing for the Wilmington District USACE and will relocate to Lockwood’s Folly Inlet Crossing late next week and subsequently end up at Shallotte Inlet Crossing. Mason Crossing will be completed after our USACE contract is complete for the Figure 8 Island Homeowner’s Association.
Darrell Stewart

AICW/Shalotte Inlet Intersection – Click for Chart View

We are now finished at Bogue Inlet Crossing and according to USACE surveys we have achieved all grades to at least -13′ MLW. We will be moving to Lockwood’s Folly Inlet Crossing this Friday and stringing pipeline to Holden Beach early next week. We are contracted to pump 80,000 Cys from Lockwood’s Folly Crossing to Holden Beach and subsequently thereafter we are to pump another 100,000. Cys from the adjacent widener to Holden Beach for the Town (See attached). At this juncture, our schedule shows us to be at Shallotte Inlet Crossing around mid March and from there we will end up at Mason Crossing during the first part of April.
I will post a LNM tomorrow for Lockwoods Folly Crossing indicating our intended arrival.
Thanks, Darrell

Now, I was always taught from the earliest age, to never look a proverbial gift horse in the mouth, or, in other words, we should just rejoice in the news of this happy dredging, and not wonder why all these projects are taking place in North Carolina, and not on some AICW Problem stretches in South Carolina and Georgia, which are even worse!
Flying in the face of that maxim, we looked into this matter, and with the help of Skipper Brad Pickel, Executive Direction of the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway Association (http://www.atlintracoastal.org/), we learned there are two reasons. First, in 2013 North Carolina passed an unusually wise piece of legislation which diverts moneys from NC boat registration and boating fuel taxes into funds for dredging. And, NC had some hurricane damage in 2013, making the Tar Heel state eligible for Federal disaster relief dollars.
These combined sources of revenue have resulted in these superb dredging projects, but, one must ask, what is going to happen to the Waterway in South Carolina and Georgia. Be advised that we are hard at work on a MAJOR article/editorial which will address the future of the Palmetto State and Peach State sections of the AICW. We plan to publish this story sometime during the week of February 17-22. STAY TUNED!

Excellent coverage Claiborne’¦thank you.
Wally Moran

When NC raised the boat registration fee and added the requirement to also register federal documented boats they told us that the money would be used to `dredge the shallow water inlets’. As with most statements from our elected officials, I took the `I will believe it when I see it’ attitude. Well, congratulations, it appears that they are keeping there word. We are just completing a trip from Beaufort, NC to Charleston, SC and return. We have passed dredges at Bouge, Lockwoods Folly and Shallotte Inlets. Each had plenty of water as you followed the markers. Carolina Beach Inlet was also no problem.
This is great news and makes the trip a lot less nerve racking. There are still a number of places where the water can get real skinny and hopefully they will also be fixed.
It is just great that this dredging is going on. However, a one time approach will not solve the problem. These areas will just fill back in. Hopefully the state will continue to maintain the waterway in the future and not loose sight of where these funds come from and there appointed use. Only time will tell.
Dave Boxmeyer