Members of the Anchorage Advisory Committee reviewed a town document titled "FNB canal and channel dredge funding path forward" during the Aug. 20 meeting and discussed next steps for canal and channel maintenance, dredging and permitting.

The committee heard that dredging is a multiagency effort that would involve the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the U.S. Coast Guard for navigational safety and coordination with Lee County. Committee materials note that an assessment resolution tied to dredging funding must be adopted prior to Sept. 15 in order to move a project into the next fiscal year’s work plan.

Why it matters: dredging and channel maintenance affect navigation for boaters, the viability of mooring-field spaces and long-term environmental conditions in Matanzas Pass and Back Bay. Committee members said the town’s prior lack of a formal maintenance plan reduced FEMA eligibility after Hurricane Ian, and staff said the town must show maintenance records going forward.

No dredging this fiscal year

Staff advised the committee that although planning and coordination are underway, there is no funded dredging work scheduled for the current fiscal year. Committee members were told that funding is not yet available and that the town needs to complete permitting and interagency coordination before dredging can proceed.

Committee roles and next steps

Committee members asked which advisory body will have jurisdiction over the project. Staff replied the effort is expected to be collaborative across advisory committees (navigation-focused and environmental-focused committees were named), and that the committee should expect to be engaged as the project’s navigational and funding elements are refined.

A committee member asked for more detail and recommended the dredging document be a core agenda item at the next meeting; staff agreed to return with fuller analysis and to outline the permits, partners and timeline needed to pursue dredging, including Army Corps coordination and any assessment-resolution schedule that would affect project timing.

Members also discussed community outreach and the need to consult neighboring municipalities and dredging programs for lessons learned. Staff said they have an early plan and will present a fuller path forward for committee review at a subsequent meeting.