The Chesapeake Bay/Wetlands board approved a wetlands permit for Colonial Pipeline Company to carry out potential inspection and repair work on Line 27 at crossings 12, 13, 14 and 15 after staff recommended approval and outlined mitigation and notification conditions.

Emily Grojean, watershed planner, presented WJPA 25-0032, saying the application covers temporary excavation areas (about 1,800 square feet at each crossing, described as roughly 30 by 60 feet) and that no permanent fill or new structures in tidal wetlands are proposed. She summarized three criteria from recent Code of Virginia guidance — alternative siting and minimization, water dependence, and demonstration of need and public/private benefits — and told the board that staff found the project meets those criteria. Grojean recommended approval with conditions including obtaining all necessary federal, state and local permits, complying with James City County floodplain regulations and a permit expiration date of Jan. 14, 2029 unless construction has begun.

Nearby residents pressed for more detail during the public hearing. Nancy Walsh, who said her property is adjacent to Crossing 14, asked whether the current request was the same as the prior permit and whether timber clearing had occurred under the earlier authorization. "I understand this is the same application that was standing before," Walsh said, and asked what work was done under the prior permit. Grojean and the applicant representative said the request is not different from the prior authorization and described public-notice procedures.

Jack McKeown, who said his property at 800 South England Circle is one of those notified, told the board the pipeline easement dates to 1963 and argued that the historical easement does not address modern riparian rights or marshland ownership. "The pipeline runs about 30 feet from my dock … our property line extends into the marshland to the average low tide," McKeown said, calling the easement "antiquated" and urging a clearer mechanism for individual property owners to raise concerns. He warned that trenching or temporary damming associated with repairs could affect downstream houses developed long after the easement was recorded.

Matthew Wyant, senior environmental scientist with Colonial Pipeline Company, said the company conducts inspections to determine when repairs are needed and that work in wetlands is scheduled to occur during low-flow conditions to limit sedimentation. "When we do maintenance work on our pipeline, especially in wetland areas, we always look for low flow conditions," Wyant said, adding that work is typically temporary, done using timber or fiberglass mats to reduce ground disturbance, and followed by restoration with a wetland seed mix. He also said landowners slated for on-site work would receive prior notification.

The chair pointed out that the board's legal scope is limited to wetlands impacts — resource protection areas and associated RPA buffers — and does not resolve broader easement or property-rights disputes. The board's decision therefore focused on whether the proposed activities satisfy the wetland-permitting criteria and the county's mitigation rules.

Following discussion, a board member moved to adopt the resolution to grant WJPA 25-0032 for Colonial Pipeline Line 27 repairs at crossings 12–15. The board recorded affirmative roll-call votes and the motion passed.

The permit was approved with the conditions recommended by staff, including required external permits, floodplain compliance, a restoration requirement, and the permit expiration date unless construction begins. Matters raised about easement language and riparian-rights mechanisms were noted by the board and referred to the appropriate venues outside wetlands permitting.

The board closed the public hearing and returned to other business.