County administrator: $2.6 million award will fund Little Wicomico dredging as county seeks additional federal support

County Administrator: The Little Wicomico dredging project has won a $2,600,000 emergency grant award, the County Administrator told the board during the March meeting. He said the grant was approved through BMRC and that the county is pursuing additional funding channels to make the dredging work sustainable.

Why it matters: The dredging is intended to keep navigation channels open and to reduce future maintenance costs. County staff described broad community support for the work and said additional study of the jetties and other infrastructure will be needed to make dredging last longer.

What the county described: The administrator said the county is pursuing three funding avenues: the BMRC emergency grant award, outreach to the U.S. congressional delegation (including Congressman Wittman), and a request that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers include related funding in its federal budget submissions. "We were awarded $2,600,000," the County Administrator said, noting community turnout and cooperation on the project.

Easement and property-owner concerns: Supervisors raised questions about the easement that would govern placement or dispersal of dredge tailings and asked whether negotiations with landowners remain on track. The County Administrator said staff had completed owner notifications and were working through wording to reduce the need for repeated changes: the focus is on creating easement language broad enough to avoid frequent amendments while protecting owner interests.

Next steps: Staff said they are pursuing the Army Corps' involvement and will continue outreach to the congressional delegation to request study funding for jetties and related infrastructure. The board did not take a formal vote on additional funding requests during the meeting and asked to receive periodic updates as those federal contacts progress.