NOAA Announces The Magenta Line will Stay, and (Hopefully) Be Improved
Back on 10/2/13, the SSECN, as well as many other nautical publications, reported that the NOAA charting folks were seriously considering doing away with the infamous “magenta line,” which is supposed, but often does not, mark the route to keep to the best depths on the AICW, and other USA Waterways (see /?p=124482). In fact, it seemed like an almost “done deal” that the line was going to disappear from future editions of NOAA charts.
Not so fast. The cruising community responded with a barrage of e-mails to NOAA, and, today (1/14/14) it was announced that the magenta line was not only going to be retained, but an effort was going to be made to relocate it to better indicate where the best depths are to be found. Here is an excerpt from the NOAA announcement:
NOAA Coast Survey to improve `magenta line’ on Intracoastal Waterway nautical charts
The Office of Coast Survey announced today that future editions of nautical charts of the Intracoastal Waterway will be updated to include an improved `magenta line’ that has historically aided navigation down the East Coast and around the Gulf Coast. Additionally, Coast Survey will change the magenta line’s function, from the perceived `recommended route’ established more than a hundred years ago, to an advisory directional guide that helps prevent boaters from going astray in the maze of channels that comprise the route.
The decision comes on the heels of a year’s investigation into problems with the magenta line. In early 2013, after receiving reports of groundings by boaters who followed the line into shoals, Coast Survey started to remove the magenta line from Intracoastal Waterway nautical charts.
`We cannot deliberately include chart features that we know may pose a danger to navigation,’ explained Rear Admiral Gerd Glang, director of NOAA’s Office of Coast Survey. `The problems of the magenta line’s misplacement, which had been developing over the past seven decades, were aggravated when some boaters assumed that the line indicated a precise route through safe water ‘“ although it actually went over land, shoals, or obstructions.’
In 2013, while Coast Survey cartographers were removing poorly placed lines from charts that were undergoing regularly scheduled updates, Glang ordered a cartographic review of the magenta line’s function and maintenance. Simultaneous with an internal review of the issues, Glang issued a Federal Register Notice asking for public comments. Almost 240 individuals and organizations offered comments, saying that the line helped safe navigation on the Intracoastal Waterway.
`We asked Intracoastal Waterway users to let us know if they need the route designated on nautical charts, and the response was 99.9 percent in favor of keeping it on charts,’ Glang said. `Many of the commenters explained how the magenta line saved them from dangerous or costly navigation errors. They also confirmed that we need to clear up any misunderstanding about what the magenta line is ‘“ and what it isn’t.’
The internal review and public comments confirm that the magenta line needs to be removed where it poses a danger to navigation, rebuilt to avoid shoals and other dangers, and reinstated to all the Intracoastal Waterway nautical charts. Importantly, Coast Survey will add notes to the Intracoastal Waterway charts, emphasizing that vessels transiting the waterway should be aware of changing conditions and always honor aids to navigation.
Improvements will take years to fully implement
`Today’s decision to reinstate the magenta line is not a quick fix,’ cautions Captain Shep Smith, chief of Coast Survey’s Marine Chart Division. `It will take at least three years to fix problems that were 70 years in the making.’
You can read the full announcement at:
Sounds like GOOD news for the cruising community, and though I’ll believe the “improvements” to the magenta line just as soon as I see them!
I’m glad they’re keeping the line and hopefully improving it. It is good to see that they are responding to public input.
John Kettlewell
This is great news. When used as intended, it provides a clear indication of the correct ICW waterways.
Dave Boxmeyer
Be the first to comment!