Come along as we take a tour of the Army Cops of Engineers Field Research Facility, or what we OBX’ers call the Duck Research Pier in Duck, North Carolina. The Field Research facility is used to study coastal processes, especially those that cause beach changes. The pier fulfills four main objectives:
provides a rigid platform through the surf into deep water from which to attach instruments
provides a permanent base of operations for various studies by the Corps, private industry, universities, and other branches of the military
provides field data for use in laboratory experiments and numerical models
provides a facility for testing new instrumentation in the field before deployment
If you have ever been out on the beach in Duck you may have seen the 1840 foot pier from a distance but there are only private beach accesses near the facility. The reason they Army chose to build the pier in Duck is pretty neat. Duck was chosen because of its distance from coastal structures, affected by the high frequency of storms and hurricanes, and only lightly affected by the dynamics of inlet processes. It also has access to both the Atlantic Ocean and Currituck Sound making it easier to conduct a variety of experiments.
I don’t want to tell you too much more about the pier because you need to get out there and do the tour. It was really educational and makes you appreciate all of the wonder that’s associated with the ocean. They are only doing the tours until August 19th and are Monday-Friday at 10:00 am. Only one more week left so get out there!
The Virginia Pilot recently reported the U.S Coast Guard’s intention to close the Oregon inlet channel connecting the Outer Banks Sound to the Atlantic Ocean. With water depths dropping to substantially low levels of 9 feet from the typical range of 30 to 40 feet, Coast Guard officials are worried about the safety of current conditions and the alternate routes some boaters are taking.
Mother Nature is filling the inlet with sand faster than the Army Corps of Engineers can clear in its daily dredging of the inlet. An effort was made two years ago with over $12 million in stimulus dollars appointed to dredge the inlet but was later destroyed by a storm.
With federal funding at only $1 million compared to the usual $4 million, a projected $10 million as an estimate to complete the job fully, and nature’s inclination to draw sand into Oregon Inlet, officials and taxpayers are less than eager to throw more money at the problem.
A long-term, lasting solution is clearly needed. But, in the meantime, shaving a few million dollars from the dredging work is likely to do more damage to the local OBX economy than it is to help ease the federal deficit.
According to a 2006 study by Dare County, the boating and fishing industries generate more than $682 million a year in revenues and support close to 10,000 jobs.
Given the economic detriment of allowing the inlet to close, Outer Banks residents and vacationers hope Congress and the Obama Administration fund the project until a more permanent fix is found.
We sent one of our roving reporters to Oregon Inlet the other day, and the below video helps demonstrate the issue. If you are familiar with Oregon Inlet, you will recognize the familiar scene of a fishing boat heading home from a trip to the Atlantic and approaching the Bonner Bridge. But rather than the usual straight shot through the channel, the pictures demonstrate that due to the sand filling in and the lack of consistent dredging recently, boats are now required to make an awkward approach to the bridge where they must turn south before swinging north close to the bride and hugging the bridge before turning west at the last minute to make their way under the bridge. This is a relatively complex approach that is adding danger to a usual easy cruise through the Inlet.
Update: WRAL reports that Governor Bev Purdue will order the Coast Guard to close Oregon Inlet declaring it impassable for large fishing vessels.
Update 4/18:WRAL reports that a larger dredge is moving into the area to make sure Oregon Inlet remains open to commercial fishing vessels.
Update 4/20: The Virginia Pilot is reporting that unless a new funding source is confirmed, the dredging at Oregon Inlet will stop in early June. “The $4 million budget for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to dredge the channel this fiscal year will be exhausted within the first week of June…When that money is gone, there is no plan to maintain the waterway for the rest of the fiscal year, which ends Sept. 30.”
Hopefully Federal and/or State funding is secured before early June.
As a follow up to a previous post about the potential for a “wind farm” on the Outer Banks, here is an update on the Offshore Wind Project:
The US Army Corps of Engineers has asked Duke Energy Co to undergo environmental impact reasearch on an offshore wind project that will take place in the Pamlico Sound. The project plans for three wind turbines within 3 square miles and 7.3 miles west of Avon and 9.1 miles of Frisco. The Turbines will be connected to the island from an underground electrical cable. This project was announced last September.
The project is being conducted as a test by Duke Energy and UNC Chapel Hill of commercial wind energy along the OBX coast. One of the most common concerns at this point for tourists and residents is the site of the large wind turbines.
As a results of this impact study, 9000 permant jobs could be created. The Corps announced on Tuesday that undertaking this study could take about two years. A public meeting to discuss the scope of the study will be held in Manteo on March 18. Written comments will be taken until April 2. Write: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Wilmington District, Regulatory Division, Attn: File Number SAW 2009-01880, P.O. Box 1000, Washington, NC 27889-1000.
Come along as we take a tour of the Army Cops of Engineers Field Research Facility, or what we OBX’ers call the Duck Research Pier in Duck, North Carolina. The Field Research facility is used to study coastal processes, especially those that cause beach changes. The pier fulfills four main objectives:
