Dare County officials report Miss Katy dredge removed more than 3 million cubic yards, repaid state loan

Dare County officials and waterway managers reported that the dredge Miss Katy has operated locally since August 2022 and has removed more than 3,000,000 cubic yards of material to keep navigation channels open. "The Miss Katy can hold approximately 500 cubic yards per load," said Barton Grover, Dare County grants and waterways administrator.

Grover said the vessel is operated by EJE Dredging under guidance from the Oregon Inlet Task Force and that crews move dredged material to deep scour holes west of the bridge or offshore "P Island." Steve House, vice chairman of the Dare County Board of Commissioners and chairman of the task force, summarized the state legislation that located the dredge in North Carolina and noted a $15,000,000 forgivable loan was part of the financing. "This year, she's been dredging for 4 years straight," House said, adding that under the loan terms discounted rates tied to Army Corps charges were used to repay the balance.

Officials provided a site-by-site breakdown of material removed: Grover said the Miss Katy dredged over 2,000,000 cubic yards from Oregon Inlet, about 275,000 from the Crack and Walter Slough adjacent to the Coast Guard station, and roughly 250,000 in Hatteras Inlet. He added the local operation has produced what he characterized as more than $16,000,000 in savings compared with the federal dredging rate.

There was no formal vote or new action recorded during the remarks; officials described ongoing operations and local oversight of the Miss Katy project.