Fenwick Island Dredging/Channel Marker Update
In late February, the Town of Fenwick Island received official US Coast Guard approval for our permit to install markers in designated locations along the recently dredged Fenwick channels. Unfortunately, DNREC’s permitting team has been much slower to complete their review and provide the necessary approval.
We have been in contact with DNREC’s permitting lead several times every month for the last three months. Unfortunately, the DNREC’s lead in the permitting team has now moved to another DNREC division. We were promised our permit approval before her departure (May 30) but that didn’t happen.
We have been in contact with other members in the DNREC permitting department over the last ten days in hopes of shaking loose the permit. Representative Gray has also advocated on our behalf. Our understanding is that Fenwick Island is not the only community awaiting final permit approval for channel markers and we do not know when DNREC will issue the approval we need to complete the work.
Fenwick is not legally allowed to install channel markers without DNREC approval. So, we are left waiting for DNREC to approve our permit request.
On the good news front, DNREC’s waterways management team (completely different DNREC division) has been excellent to work with and has provided a lot of help in preparing for the installation of the channel markers. They donated some of the materials for the markers as well as put us in contact with the vendor to source the 20-foot PVC pipes.
We have all the material necessary for the installation of the channel markers purchased, staged and ready to go once DNREC approves our permit.
We also have officially started a public bidding process (requirement to use grant funding) and have held a pre-bid Q&A session on June 18 to hire a vendor to install the markers.
Two firms were present during the pre-bid meeting and at least two other firms have expressed interest in bidding on the project. Final bids are due on July 2 at which time we will have a formal opening of all sealed bids.
DNREC recently performed a similar public bid process for all of their waterway management projects throughout the state. Our original plan was to use DNREC’s winning bidder. Unfortunately, not a single firm bid for the state-wide DNREC work.
We will continue to contact DNREC’s permitting team with the goal of receiving our formal permit approval to install the channel markers. Unfortunately, the lack of an approved permit from DNREC has resulted in the delay in completing placement of the channel markers, the final phase of the town’s dredging project.
In the meantime, please see the map which shows where the dredging occurred. For those that have boated in the area, the Fenwick channels going into the Town are where they were in the past but are much deeper and wider.
As for the western main channel and the shoaling present, DNREC has been made aware and did place some temporary buoys to better mark the channel. The western main channel is one maintained by DNREC and while we offered to allow DNREC to piggy-back on our dredging project, they declined to do so, citing lack of funding. We will continue to urge DNREC to consider dredging at that location so that the western main channel remains open and can be safely navigated.
Please stay alert while boating!
