ORMA News 2001
December 2001, Update
September 2001, Dredging Update
August 2001, The Moving of the Markers
August 2001, Dredging (or not) Update
August 2001, The Corp Commits to NOT Dredging
May 2001,The Corp Commits to Dredging
May 2001, In the News: Occoquan Blessing of the Fleet A Success!
April 2001, In the News: The Corps Response to Dredging
April 2001, In the News: Occoquan Blessing of the Fleet Press Release
March 2001, In the News: Occoquan Issues Update
February 2001, ORMA News--ORMA Projects Update
January 2001, ORMA News--Project Update
December 2001--Update
Following is a summary of the meeting on the Occoquan Channel held on December 7th, prepared by Tom Coldwell, who attended on behalf of ORMA.
Thanks Tom, for a very thorough account. Commodores, I urge you to provide this information to your members so that when they begin boating
in the Spring that they are wary of the potential problems that still may
exist. On Wednesday the 19th of September, Barnaby
Harkins and Michael May of Congressman Davis’ staff, Terry Hill and members of
the Fairfax County Marine Rescue Unit met w/ Coast Guard representatives at
Hampton’s Landing (Terry Hill’s marina). After discussing the issue of channel marker locations,
examining Corps of Engineer’s charts as well as inspecting the channel
firsthand, the Coast Guard agreed to assist in moving various channel markers
and adding at least one new marker to better define the channel
boundaries. The newly marked channel
will be slightly different than the current channel; however, it will have the
requisite width of 150 feet and depth of six feet, as mandated by the Rivers
and Harbors Act of 1890 (updated 1911). Included is a copy of the language drafted
by Congressman Davis and his staff to re-designate the channel with a new depth
of nine feet, and a width between Channel Marker 2 and the Route 1 Bridge of
200 feet. Due to the tragic events of September 11, both the Coast
Guard and Corps of Engineers have temporarily suspended all domestic activities
not related to national security. For
all intents and purposes, they have gone to a war footing. While this may have an effect on Corps and Coast
Guard operations, Congressman Davis’ office is moving forward with the
congressional phase of the project. The new language that re-designates the channel will be
included in one of the FY 2002 Appropriations Bills (these will be discussed in
October or November of this year). Once
this language is approved, it remains to be seen whether the Corps will be able
to take immediate action. We are
hopeful that events will return to normal soon; however, we also recognize the
gravity of the current situation and realize the military’s primary concern
must be for the nation’s security. The
good news is that notwithstanding current events, approval of the new language
is a key step because it will get the re-designation project on the Corps’
schedule. We should be receiving an official correspondence in
writing from the Coast Guard in the near future, affirming their commitment to
making the channel boundary changes that have already been negotiated. Again, however, the current national crisis
may have a delaying effect on the timetable for receiving this letter and we
must be patient. Anyone with questions or concerns about the current
status of the project should feel free to contact Michael May in Congressman
Davis’ Prince William Office at 703-590-4599. Talk about prompt and professional action!
The following request was written and sent to Congressman Davis' office by
Terry Hill of Potomac Marine with the help of Fairfax Marine Patrol
following our meeting today, to help expedite Coast Guard action on
remarking of the channel. Terry's very professional help,and the continued
involvement of FMP on behalf of our safety concerns have been invaluable in
getting this thing refocused.
Tom Davis, In addition to widening the channel, buoys # 15 and # 17 need to be
repositioned to properly mark the channel as surveyed by the Corps of
Engineers.
The following agencies have been consulted and agree these changes would
be of great benefit to safe passage on the Occoquan.
Salisbury Towing, Florida Rock Industries, Vulcan Materials, Fairfax
County Marine Patrol, Occoquan River Maritime Association, Potomac Marine
Towing and Salvage and representatives from Fairfax and Prince William
county governments.
Terry Hill This morning, I participated in a meeting hosted by Congressman Davis'
staff to address the dredging issue. In attendance were Prince William Co
Supervisors Griggs and Barg, VA Delegate McQuigg, staff members from
Supervisor Connaugton and Elaine McConnell's office, Mayor Conway and
Councilmember Frank from Occoquan, Fairfax Maine Patrol representatives,
Potomac Marine, Vulcan Materials, and PWC Co Government Public Works. (The
Community). Thanks to the continued support of our elected officials and aggressive
action by Congressman Davis and his staff, we concurred in the approach
that is summarized in the attached message and paper by Congressman Davis'
Staff Member Mike Mays. The approach will be to seek fast action by the
Coast Guard to remark the channel so that we can avoid boating accidents,
and, through legislative action, preserve the remaining funding of the
appropriation for Occoquan use and press for an improved channel that will
be wider and deeper with the current dogleg at Belmont Harbor Marina
dredged out to provide more room. The actions may result in action being
taken within a year or two vs the Corps' predicted timeframe which would
have taken a year or two longer than that. Please see the details in the
following message from Mike May and the attachment. ORMA again commends our elected officials and their staffs for being so
proactive in working to resolve the issues, and urges all ORMA members to
call or send them an e-mail in support of their efforts to help us. Also a
special thanks to Terry Hill of Potomac Marine for his continued efforts to
help the Occoquan community through his participation in this effort. Representatives from the Army Corps of Engineers met with local
officials on August 7th to discuss the Corps' previously announced findings
that dredging of the Occoquan Channel is not necessary. Fairfax County
Supervisor Elaine McConnell hosted the meeting, which was attended by
representatives of Congressman Tom Davis' staff and ORMA members including
Occoquan Mayor Pat Conway, ORMA founder Jim Ball, representatives of Vulcan
Materials Corp, CYBCA, OYC, PWYC, Potomac Marine; and other agencies
including VDOT and the Fairfax County Marine Patrol. The Corps' finding, initially announced by letter on June 21st,
stated that "the survey performed in May 2001 indicates that adequate
channel depths exist within and immediately adjacent to the authorized
Federal Channel. We will be working with the Coast Guard and local
navigation interests to realign the channel to mark the deeper water. The
project, therefore, does not require dredging at this time." In opening remarks, the Corps' spokesmen that the previously
appropriated $1M for the dredging effort has been reallocated to another
project. They also indicated that their responsibilities did not consider
the needs of recreational boaters, only commercial operations were a reason
for maintenance dredging. Their only interest was the use by the tug and
barge traffic of Maryland Rock-Salisbury Towing-Virginia Concrete (the
Capt. Tom) and Vulcan (which has stopped barge traffic due to the shallow
water). The fact that the river is home to and used by over 1500
recreational boaters and that the Town of Occoquan is reestablishing their
port for recreational boating was not a factor in their requirements or
decision process. Corps representatives reiterated that they are obligated to
maintain only to the Congressionally mandate of 100 to 150 feet wide and 6
feet deep. They did clarify the error in their letter that indicated their
datum was Mean Low Water v.s. Mean Lower Low Water, thus putting their
readings in the same datum as navigational charts. A review of their
detailed soundings indicates that the channel, as it now exists, is in fact
silted in more shallow than the mandated depth requirements in the areas
previously identified by ORMA. These areas are primarily in the vicinity of
Conrad Island between markers 6 and 8 where the channel is supposed to be
150 feet wide. The narrowness of the channel at Belmont Bay Harbor Marina
was also addressed, but their soundings indicated adequate water depths and
the minimum channel width there of 100 ft. Their soundings showed that the
channel needs to be realigned (re-marked) so that vessels will not
encounter shallow areas now in the marked channel. Along Conrad Island, the
soundings indicate that the shallower water is to the West side, and that
the channel needs to be marked some 25 feet to the East toward the islands.
The soundings around marker G9 indicate shoaling into the channel as
previously indicated by ORMA's findings. In ORMA's view, the soundings
clearly show that it would be difficult to run a line between either side
marker along Conrad Island at the edge of the current channel as marked
without encountering water shallow enough to do damage to a larger vessel
at low tide. The Corps took recommendations from ORMA members regarding
relocation of the navigational aids and the addition of more navigational
aids to help remark the channel. It is important to note, however, that the
relocation of navigational aids is a responsibility of the Coast Guard, and
not the Corps. The Coast Guard was not in attendance at the meeting, thus
we are unsure at this time what action will be taken and when. The Corps presented the group with an alternative means to address
the Occoquan Channel problems. The Small Navigation Project provisions of
the Rivers and Harbors Act of 1960 provides for funding of special projects
that would permit the channel to be realigned and dredged deeper. They
provided local officials with a sample application for this, and
Congressman Davis' staff member Barnaby Harkins indicated that his office
would move forward with this effort. Fairfax and Prince William Counties
and the Town of Occoquan are expected support this initiative with a
letter. If this effort goes well, the Corps indicated that after the
authorization by Congress , they would take approximately one year to study
the request. If the request was accepted, it would probably take another
year or two before the actual dredging took place, remembering that
dredging can only be done in winter months. The bottom line is that recreational boaters will continue to have
to be extremely cautious at low tide in the channel. The other factor is
avoiding the commercial barge traffic and not being in the narrow part of
the channel when the barge traffic is present. At ORMA's request, Senior
Captain Mark Fineline of Salisbury Towing has agreed today to ensure that
all Capt Tom captains issue a Security call on Channel 16 whenever their
tug is entering or leaving the Occoquan Channel. This will help
recreational vessels stay out of the way of the traffic. Educating the
boating public about the channel, and the hazards of Tugs and barges is
also an initiative that needs to be taken. We hope that the Coast Guard
will take action on the remarking in the near future. On a brighter note, the Town of Occoquan has received a second
increment of grant funding for their transient docking facility, and is
proceeding with their plans for the restoration of the port. More on that
later. On behalf of all its members and supporters, ORMA wishes to thank
Elaine McConnell and the Prince William County Supervisors and the Town of
Occoquan for their leadership and unflagging support of the recreational
boating community in this matter, and Congressman Tom Davis and his staff
for continuing to support the Occoquan Community needs with legislative
initiatives. We urge the Commodores of the Yacht Clubs and other ORMA
supporting members to communicate your support to your elected officials in
their quest to resolve the continuing problems with the channel. Direct conversations
with Heather Batchelder of the Army Corps of Engineers on March 9th indicated
that Corps surveys done last year did not show any problems with the channel;
however, the Corps is going to conduct another survey in early April.
ORMA has sent a detailed description of the silting areas near Sandy Point,
Conrad Island and Belmont Bay Harbor. No reports of any new problems in
the past year have yet been received from the request sent to the Commodores
of the three yacht clubs last month. We have sent Bachelder a summary
of the silted-in areas with specific locations. Also, Salisbury Towing
has provided us with a letter of concern regarding the narrowness of the
channel in the vicinity of Belmont Bay Harbor, which combined with the
silting opposite is causing them considerable operational difficulties.
As a result we have sent a strong recommendation to the Corps that they
consider moving the channel 100 yards further out over a stretch of several
hundred yards in that area. The highlight of
the month was the presentation of the resolution of thanks by the Town
of Occoquan to Congressman Tom Davis for his support in obtaining
the appropriation for maintenance dredging of the River. ORMA assisted
the Town Council in drafting the resolution and I was honored to assist
in its presentation at the ceremony at Occoquan Town Hall on February
9th. Over 50 people were in attendance, including three representatives
of the PWC Board of Supervisors. We still have yet to hear from the Corps
on their plans, although we have passed on the town's needs in this area
to Congressman Davis' office. Hello All ORMA members and supporters, Happy New Year -- it's time for
an update on ORMA projects, and do we have good news! On the dredging issue, thanks to Congressman Tom Davis, we have
a $1M appropriation to cover the problem, and Jim Henry will stay in touch
with the Congressman's office to monitor the Corps of Engineers plans.
By the way, there was a false rumor that the Corps had taken a position
that no dredging was needed. That is not the case. The Corps position
is that the entire river does not need dredging, just trouble spots. We
agree. Meanwhile, we met with Town of Occoquan officials on Jan 22 to obtain
their input on dredging needs so that we can present a full list of troubled
areas. Thanks to Councilman Leo Smith, a preliminary list has already
been provided. The Town Council, with ORMA's input, also passed a resolution
on January 23d recognizing the Congressman's help in obtaining the appropriation.
A presentation is scheduled to recognize Congressman Davis' efforts at
0900 on Friday Feb 9th at the Occoquan Town Hall. Regarding the No Wake zone, ORMA is circulating a draft request
to the Prince William County Supervisors recommending that the no-wake
zone be extended approximately one third of the distance between where
it is now and Conrad Island. After receipt and consideration of any comments,
a final version will be sent to the Supervisors. The PWC Board of Supervisors
is required by Virginia law to clear the change with the Board of Game
and Inland Fisheries after a public notice. ORMA will also continue to consider some member's concerns regarding
safety of wakes in the narrow channel and invites any who wish to voice
an opinion on this issue or other safety matters to send us an e-mail. Belmont Bay Marina has about 20% of its slips filled to date,
and will open in early Spring. It will have a gas dock and boats can refuel
on the outside of the long dock parallel to the channel. Because of the
high traffic in the area, the No Wake issue needs to be addressed soon. The Occoquan Blessing of the Fleet is scheduled for Sunday, May
6th, and we need volunteers from all ORMA members to bring it together.
ORMA has also been coordinating with Tim Newell (yes, of Fort Washington
Marina) who will also be managing the Belmont Bay Marina. We asked Tim
about transient slips, especially for the Blessing of the Fleet and he
will be able to support quite a few boats on the Saturday before the Blessing.
Belmont Bay still has slips, and will also have transient slips for a
while, so boaters looking for a home should call Tim Newell at 301-292-7700
or send him and e-mail at timnewell1@excite.com. The Port of Occoquan is moving along, with the Town's receipt
of an initial grant of $100,000 which should result in a first phase small
town dock that recreational boaters can tie up to. The town is seeking
additional grant money to build more dock facility, and all are asked
to send a letter of support to Mayor Conway. See the ORMA
Web page for details. Thanks to all who have supported ORMA efforts in the past. We have made
tremendous progress and look forward to the fruits of it in the coming
year. Please get involved and ask your other Occoquan friends, neighbors,
and dockmates to join in also. Any individual or organization supportive of ORMA's goals and objectives
may receive direct ORMA reports and news updates by sending an e-mail
stating their support to auxop@usa.net
to be added to the list. If you do not wish to receive ORMA messages,
please request to be taken off the list. Thanks, Jim
Rep Tom Davis' staff convened a meeting of Occoquan area officials on December 7 to advise them that the Defense Appropriation Act for 2002
includes language amending legislation dating from 1890 which now calls
for deeping the Occoquan River channel to nine feet and to expanding the channel from Marker Number 2 and the US Route 1 bridge to a width of 200 feet. The Defense Appropriation is expected to be passed soon and signed
by the President.
Davis' staffer Barnaby Harkins noted that when the legislation is passed, Corps of Engineers surveying could begin this January or February and that dredging could occur as early as the November 2002-March 2003 time frame. If that timetable is not met, dredging would be accomplished in the November 2003-March 2004 window.
Language in the Occoquan amendment also calls for the return of the balance of funds previously earmarked for dredging in the 2001 budget
which the Corps of Engineers applied to other projects after they decided dredging was not necessary. The new criteria, 9 feet deep and 200 feet wide, gives the Corps a new standard they will be required to
meet.
Harkins said that he will advise those concerned when the President has
signed the legislation.
At the same meeting, Potomac Marine president Terry Hill briefed attendees on channel marker changes which the Coast Guard recently completed. He
noted that the markers running inbound from Conrad Island to Belmont Bay Marina have been moved several feet to the right, and he expressed concern
that shoaling in this newly opened part of the channel may present hazards
to large boats. He believes that boaters should proceed with caution along
the rightside edge of the channel and further that local yacht clubs need to alert their members to the potential hazard.
The changes to the Aids to Navigation in the Occoquan Channel are summarized:
1. Day marker #8, just inbound of Conrad Island, was moved towards the
North placing it inward and slightly towards the Fairfax Shore and away
from Conrad Island. Renumbered from Red #8 to Red #10.
2. Red lighted marker #10 just off Belmont Bay Marina was moved 10' to
20' maybe E-NE closer to the old wake zone marker. Renumbered as Red
lighted marker #12.
3. Green day marker #13 relocated outwards off the mud bar closer to Belmont.
4. Red lighted marker #12 was renumbered as Red lighted marker #14 and relocated slightly more towards the center of the river westward into deeper water off Fairfax Yacht Club.
5. Green day marker #15 added to replace old #13 close to its original
position.
6. Old buoy #14 by Occoquan Regional Park was replaced with new day
marker #16.
7. Old buoy #15 replaced new day markers #17 and #19 and placed more
towards the Prince William side of the National Channel.
Thus far Fairfax Marine Patrol, Salisbury Towing Tug "Capt. Tom" (crew)
and Potomac Marine agree that the changes will be of great help in eliminating congestion especially in the areas of Belmont Bay and Conrad
Island.
However, prudent mariners should use caution when transiting along the extreme fringes of these channel lines as this short term solution to the congestion issue will still require some dredging especially for the
deeper draft vessels.
September 2001--Dredging Update
August 2001--Moving of the Markers
In response to meetings held by your aides associated with the Occoquan
River dredge and channel improvements, we feel immediate attention should
be given to relocating some of the channel markers in order to facilitate
safe navigation on then Occoquan River. All of the concerned parties
represented at these meetings agree that a safety issue is present given
the current conditions of the channel combined with the traffic, both
commercial and recreational. We have arrived at a proposal to help
alleviate some of the present issues by relocating some of the existing
channel markers and adding one new marker. It is our understanding that a
Coast Guard ATON unit is scheduled to be in the area some time September
2001. This provides a perfect opportunity to address and correct some of
these issues promptly. Below are the proposed changes that we would ask
you to direct the Coast Guard to implement as soon as possible. These
changes would be designed to increase the channel width between markers
from 150 feet to about 200 feet, and extend from marker 6 inbound to the
CSX railroad bridge. This would help with vessel congestion until a new
channel design can be implemented.
Potomac Marine, INC.
16229 Neabsco Road
Woodbridge,
Virginia 22191
(703) 670-0080
August 2001--Dredging (or not) Update
August 2001--The Corp Commits to NOT Dredging
March 2001--In the News: Occoquan Issues Update
Belmont Bay Harbor has sent a request to the PW County Board of Supervisors
requesting a short extension of the no-wake zone to protect their new
marina. ORMA has endorsed this short extension in a letter to Chairman
Connaugton which is quoted below.
Jim Ball and Tom Coldwell met with Carlton Phillips and Bob Bagley at
PWM on March 9th to discuss ORMA objectives and obtained valuable information
regarding river activities and PWM's pledge of support for ORMA. We welcome
PWM to our list of supporting organizations.
The next Blessing of the Fleet planning meeting is scheduled for 7PM March
26th at Fairfax Yacht Club. Anyone wishing to help with the event is welcome.
Text of letter to Sean Connaugton, Chairman Prince William County Board
of Supervisors
Dear Mr. Connaughton,
As you know, the new Belmont Bay Harbor is opening on the Occoquan River
this spring. The location of the marina is at and beyond the current no-wake
zone on the river, thus action is needed to protect marine operations
and ensure the safety of boats passing and attempting to dock for fuel
in that congested area of the channel.
The Occoquan River Maritime Association (ORMA), in cooperation with its
members, requests that the Board of Supervisors take immediate action
to extend the current no-wake zone on the Occoquan River to a point approximately
one-third the distance between its current end point and Conrad Island.
We understand that Belmont Town Associates has sent you a similar request.
For your reference, the County's authority in this matter is contained
in Virginia Code Section 29.1-744, which I am attaching with this letter.
The law also requires public notice and notification/approval of the Board
of Game and Inland Fisheries. Because of these requirements, time is of
the essence to address this issue.
Meanwhile, ORMA will continue to explore congestion and safety issues
related to the Occoquan, including the possibility of realigning the channel
to move it farther away from the marina as part of the dredging planning
with the Corps of Engineers.
We are available to assist the board with any questions or notifications
to the boating community of the Occoquan on this or other matters. Thank
you for this consideration.
Text of messages sent to Heather Bachelder, Corps of Engineers, Baltimore
10 March 2001
Heather,
Thank you for discussing the dredging needs on the Occoquan River with
me yesterday. I am attaching a paper, which outlines the areas that have
caused the most problems for both commercial vessels and recreational
boaters. In particular, Salisbury Towing (Captain Tom Tugboat sand barge
operation) has significant issues with the area negotiating the narrow
area and turn near the new Belmont Harbor marina. Vulcan Materials Inc.
has ceased its commercial barge traffic due to the silting problems. We
are also concerned about that same area where, with the new marina opening,
there will be considerable boat traffic cuing for access to the fuel dock,
which is right alongside the channel.
We strongly recommend that the Corps look at moving the channel out away
farther from the marina as dredging operations are considered.
Regarding a location for the spoil, the owner of Conrad Island, Richard
Krause, has indicated that the spoil from the channel alongside this island
could be re-deposited on and behind the current remaining island, which
has eroded away over the years and once was a 64-acre island. This would
allow the dredging in one of the two most problematic areas to be deposited
without having to transport it, thus significantly reducing the cost of
the operations. It would also help to restore a densely populated bird
sanctuary. Other property and business owners and operators on the river
have additional ideas that could assist the Corps in making the channel
more navigable at reduced costs.
The Occoquan River Maritime Association has been in the forefront of bringing
together the commercial and recreational interests on the Occoquan to
address this issue for a year and a half, and was the driving force in
obtaining the appropriation for the dredging. Documentation on the issues
and letters from ORMA supporting businesses and organizations on the river
are available on our web page at www.ormaweb.org. We invite you to review
them.
We are available to assist you with this project in any way. Please call
on us.
James A. Ball
Occoquan River Maritime Association
12 March 2001
Heather, Reference my previous correspondence about the need to move the
channel out from the new Belmont Bay Harbor marina, the attached correspondence
from Salisbury Towing, the main commercial user of the Occoquan River
expresses their concern that echoes ours.
On behalf of almost all of the commercial and recreational users of the
Occoquan River, the Occoquan Maritime Association urges the Corps to evaluate
this situation and take appropriate action. Moving the channel 100 yards
away from the Virginia shoreline over a length of several hundred yards
in this congested area would take care of many problems and significantly
enhance recreational boating and commercial vessel traffic safety.
We would appreciate your feedback on these issues.
Thanks.
James A. Ball
Occoquan River Maritime Association
February 2001--ORMA Project Updates
Belmont Bay Marina will be presenting a request for extension of the
no wake zone to protect the marina in the very near future. ORMA will
support this request with a recommendation to extend the no wake to a
point 1/3 of the way from its current location to the islands. Meanwhile
ORMA will continue to evaluate the concern of a number of members regarding
safety issues related to wakes in the narrow channel and the cuing of
boats in the restricted area near the Belmont Bay marina and its fueling
facility.
Planning for the Blessing of the Fleet is underway, with a possibility
of an afternoon and evening "Mini-Float In" event preceding it at Belmont
Bay Marina. More information next month.
January 2001--Update on ORMA Projects
James A. Ball
Occoquan River Maritime Association
P.O. Box 469
Occoquan, VA 22125