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Wetlands board approves 2-foot bulkhead replacement in Hopkins, requires 10 sq ft mitigation
Summary
The board accepted a replacement bulkhead two feet seaward at a man-made boat basin in Hopkins, and required the applicant to purchase 10 square feet of mitigation for non-vegetated wetlands from an approved program.
The Accomack County Wetlands Board voted to accept a bulkhead-replacement application for a man-made boat basin in the Hopkins area and attached a mitigation requirement of 10 square feet of non-vegetated-wetland credits to the approval.
Why it matters: The permit allows a two-foot seaward replacement bulkhead and related dock adjustments in a partially man-made basin leading to Dix Cove and Bagwell Creek. The board’s approval included a requirement that mitigation for the 10 square feet of non-vegetated wetlands be purchased from an approved in-lieu fee or mitigation program.
Paul Watson, deputy director of Code Administration, described the project as a typical bulkhead replacement with a new wall two feet seaward of the existing bulkhead. Watson said the work affects roughly 10 square feet of non-vegetated wetlands and that a boat lift included in the application is treated like an open-pile pier and therefore exempt from separate review.
John Mudd of Mudd Construction, representing the applicants, told the board the project is a straightforward bulkhead replacement and that two small sections contained mud that produced the non-vegetated-wetland area the staff identified.
Board discussion focused on the appropriate form of mitigation. Members agreed the correct remedy for the identified non-vegetated wetland was to purchase mitigation credits from an approved program or in-lieu fee fund. The motion adopted by the board approved the application as presented with the 10-square-foot mitigation condition; the vote was recorded in the meeting as approved by the members present.
The board instructed staff to confirm the approved mitigation mechanism (in-lieu fee program or wetland mitigation bank) and to complete final permit documentation after the mitigation selection is confirmed.
