Lancaster County Wetlands Board approves six shoreline stabilization permits; activity report and minutes accepted

The Lancaster County Wetlands Board on an unspecified date approved six shoreline stabilization permit applications, then accepted the board's activity report for 2024 and approved the prior meeting minutes, voting unanimously on each item.

The approvals cover projects along Windmill Point Creek, Fleets Bay, Carters Creek, the Rappahannock River at Weems and multiple sections of shoreline on the Western Branch/Corrotoman (as listed on the applications). Agents representing applicants described each project as limited to revetment, breakwater or beach-nourishment work designed to arrest active bank erosion.

Why it matters: The permits authorize hard-structure and limited living-shoreline work that property owners say is needed to protect eroding banks and existing infrastructure. Several projects involve tying new revetment into existing structures and include sand nourishment and marsh planting in small pockets; the board and staff repeatedly noted that work below mean low water is subject to state review (VMRC and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers) and that the wetlands board's authority covers the portion between mean low and mean high water (1.5 times as described during the meeting).

Key approvals and project details

- Bright Waters (VMRC 24-2412): Request to install 24 linear feet of riprap revetment in front of a replacement bulkhead on Windmill Point Creek, tax map 40-14M. Joseph Scott of Solterra Solutions spoke as agent and said the riprap ties into existing revetment to eliminate a breach between structures. The board approved the application as submitted.

- Fleets Bay / Andre (VMRC 24-2558): Agent Roger McKinley described a plan to place 88 feet of revetment and 102 cubic yards of sand to repair a failing bulkhead on Fleets Bay (tax map 35GG-1-20C). Staff and the board discussed staking, jurisdiction and whether proposed rock would lie below mean low water or within wetland jurisdiction. Olivia Hall (staff) recommended approving the application "without condition" as drawn so the applicant would be covered if an adjacent neighbor later sought a tie-in. The board approved the plan as submitted.

- Naomi Myrick (VMRC 24-2613): Joseph Scott presented a request to install about 20 feet of revetment along Carters Creek (tax map 27B-2-3). The agent noted heavy canopy and existing riparian buffer; the revetment would be a small base intervention placed by hand. The board approved the application as submitted.

- Paul and Tiffany Stephanski / Weems (VMRC 24-2695): Craig Palobinski of Bay Shore Design presented a larger project on the Rappahannock River in Weems: about 355 feet of armor-stone revetment, two armor-stone breakwaters (60 and 70 feet), ~350 cubic yards of beach nourishment and 2,000 square feet of wetland plantings. The application remains under review by VMRC and the Army Corps; the wetlands board approved the portion in its jurisdiction.

- Anne Flint / Thomas Carter trust (VMRC 24-2841): Joseph Scott described a proposed 200-foot riprap revetment along an eroding bank on the Western Branch (tax map 21-32). The agent said a living-shoreline approach was impractical at the site because of tree removal and steepness. The board approved the plan as submitted.

- Frederick H. Garbus Jr. (VMRC 24-2825): Joseph Scott presented a plan to install 65 feet of riprap, a 107-foot sill, 65 cubic yards of beach nourishment and wetland plantings on the Corrotoman River shoreline (tax map 26J-1-6). The board approved the application as submitted.

Staff and agency comments

County staff repeatedly said they had no further comment on the listed applications. The Virginia Marine Resources Commission (VMRC) representatives present generally said they had no comment on the wetlands-board portion, and that any work below mean low water would be subject to VMRC (and Army Corps, where applicable) review.

Votes and motions

Each discussed application was put to a motion and approved by the board; motions were moved and seconded during the meeting and the chair called for those in favor to raise their hands. The meeting closed with approval of the board's activity report for calendar year 2024 and approval of the prior meeting minutes (the minutes vote was recorded as 5-0).

Context and next steps

Several applicants said they expect to submit additional documentation to state agencies where portions of the project extend below mean low water. The board repeatedly emphasized it acts only on the portion within its wetland jurisdiction; any approvals do not substitute for VMRC or Army Corps approvals for state or federal waters.

The board adjourned at 10:37 a.m.