Planning commission adds Little Wicomico dredging priority to draft comprehensive plan

The Northumberland County Planning Commission voted Aug. 28 to amend the draft 2025 Comprehensive Plan to list federal channels marked by U.S. Coast Guard aids to navigation as dredging priorities, with the Little Wicomico River given the highest priority and Cranes Creek the next priority. The change follows a public hearing in which residents and business owners urged the commission to elevate the issue so the county can pursue state and federal funding.

The action came after multiple public comments about severe shoaling and navigation problems. ‘‘Weare losing 5 to 6% of our business every month,’’ said Daniel Hickey of Reedville, who identified Smith Point Marina when describing economic harm from reduced navigability. Homeowner Sandra Maynard said the Northern Neck Planning and Development Commission(NNPDC) Phase 3 dredging study and a completed joint permit application are prerequisites for pursuing community project funding. "Itis really critical that that permit be completed and that the ball be handed off so that the permit can be approved and we can get funding for the severe shoaling at the Little Wicomico River," Maynard said.

Commissioners and staff discussed options for how to include the NNPDC study in the plan. Staff advised against embedding large maps directly in the county document for technical reasons and suggested a reference by citation could be sufficient; commissioners favored language that explicitly marks the waterways that provide navigation to the Chesapeake Bay as county priorities. A commissioner who moved the amendment read the proposed wording into the record, adding: "Specific to Northumberland County, the dredging priority is for all federal channels marked with US Coast Guard aids to navigation in order to maintain access to the Chesapeake Bay with highest priority given to the Little Wicomico River and next priority for Cranes Creek." The motion was seconded and approved by voice vote.

Staff and witnesses also described the permitting and funding timeline. Representatives from Representative Whitmanoffice had told local stakeholders that the Army Corps of Engineers may not have capacity or funding to execute dredging until as early as 2027, and that a completed joint permit application (JPA) and spoil-site negotiations are necessary before federal funding requests can be advanced. Maynard urged the commission to add the Phase 3 study materials to the plan, noting that Matthews County had paired a similar technical study with outreach and sustained citizen advocacy to win funding.

Local homeowners and business representatives reiterated safety and commerce concerns. "It's a safety-of-life issue," said Ariane Carpenter, a Sherwood Forest resident, citing cases where rescue crews were challenged by shallow channels. Steve Ott, president of the Sherwood Forest Shores Homeowners Association, told the commission many residents are worried navigation may be curtailed entirely without dredging.

Next steps: staff said it would incorporate the commissioned wording into Chapter 1 of the draft comprehensive plan, recompile the plan, and circulate the revised draft to state review agencies for comment. The commission closed the public hearing after adopting the amendment and said it will forward the revised plan for the required state reviews and later recommendation to the Board of Supervisors.

Vote and procedural note: the motion to add the dredging-priority language was moved and seconded from the commission and passed by voice vote during the meeting; the record shows commissioners answering "Aye" during the roll call on the motion. The commission closed the public hearing immediately after the vote. The comprehensive plan text and the staff-recommended citations to the NNPDC work will be part of the package sent to state agencies for review before final recommendation to the Board of Supervisors.