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VMRC approves Page 2 projects including multiple dredging and structures authorizations
Summary
At its May 27 meeting the commission approved a package of Page 2 projects including maintenance and project dredging, a groin and wetland permits, and utility infrastructure work; staff recommended standard conditions for the work and the commission voted to approve the items as presented.
VMRC approves Page 2 projects including multiple dredging and structures authorizations
The Virginia Marine Resources Commission on May 27 approved a suite of Page 2 projects submitted for authorization, including federal-navigation-channel maintenance dredging, private facility dredging, shoreline structures and utilities work, with staff recommending standard dredge and wetland conditions.
Chief Randy Owen presented six projects to the commission under the Page 2 heading. Notable items summarized by staff included:
- Purdue Agribusiness: authorization to dredge 14,000 cubic yards from state-owned submerged lands to a maximum depth of minus 38 feet mean water adjacent to an existing unloading dock and minus 42 feet mean low water adjacent to the dock on the Southern Branch of the Elizabeth River in the City of Chesapeake; dredged material to be barged offsite to one of several management areas.
- City of Virginia Beach: maintenance dredging up to approximately 500,000 cubic yards per cycle in the Rudee Inlet federal navigation channel, sand trap and outer deposition basin to a maximum depth of minus 22 feet mean low water; hydraulic or hopper dredging methods with side-cast allowed in emergency situations and hydraulically pumped placement to resort/beach areas or nearshore as approved.
- Essex County (wetlands board note): staff noted the county had rescinded its local wetland board ordinance and that VMRC would act as the wetland board for a project in that county.
- Owner Elias Scott: authorization to construct a 40-foot low-profile groin extending channelward adjacent to a bulkhead on the Rappahannock River shoreline in Essex County; required VMRC wetland permit and a general permit number 2 were noted.
- Virginia Port Authority and Rocket Lab USA: authorization to dredge about 59,042 cubic yards in Sloop Gut Channel adjacent to Wallops Island to a maximum depth of minus 7 feet mean low water; dredged material to be barged to Shirley Plantation for upland disposal; staff recommended turbidity curtains and environmental dredge bucket use because of adjacent leased shellfish beds.
- Dominion Energy (Virginia Electric and Power Company): authorization to install a monopile support structure that will result in 20 square feet of vegetated wetland impacts on Proctors Creek in Chesterfield County; applicant has purchased wetland credits from the Virginia [transcript: "Cardiac"] Resource Trust Fund and the project requires a VMRC wetlands permit.
After staff presentation, Associate Member Branson moved to approve the Page 2 items as recommended; Miss Edwards seconded. No public speakers requested to comment on these items. The commission took a voice vote and the motion carried unanimously among members present (recorded as 7–0).
Staff noted standard pre-construction requirements such as pre- and post-dredge bathymetric surveys, pre-construction meetings with contractors to ensure permit limits are understood, and recommended use of turbidity control measures for environmental protection. Commissioners asked whether standard conditions included time-of-year restrictions; staff replied standard dredge conditions did not include seasonal restrictions and that season-of-work would be addressed in the pre-construction coordination rather than as a standard permit condition.
The approvals allow the applicants to proceed subject to the VMRC standard conditions and the specific special conditions noted by staff for individual projects.
