Oregon Inlet Closing?

[LuckyLady]

RESOLUTION ON THE CONSTRUCTION OF A DUAL JETTY SYSTEM AT
OREGON INLET, DARE COUNTY, NORTH CAROLINA.
NORTH CAROLINA CHAPTER OF THE AMERICAN FISHERIES SOCIETY
WHEREAS, Oregon Inlet is located on the Outer Banks of North Carolina between Pea Island
and Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge to the South and Bodie Island and Cape Hatteras
National Seashore to the north; and
WHEREAS, Oregon Inlet is the only connection between the Atlantic Ocean and the Currituck-
Albemarle-Pamlico Estuary System (CAPES) along the 130- mile length of the North Carolina
Northern Outer Banks; and
WHEREAS, the United States Army Corp of Engineers (USACE) currently operates a program
to support safe and navigable passage through Oregon Inlet by dredging a channel 14- feet deep
from the inlet to Roanoke Island; and
WHEREAS, the USACE has proposed an alternative to the current dredging of a 14-foot deep
channel through the construction of a dual-jetty system, which includes (i) construction of 2000-
foot long rock jetties on either side of the inlet extending from the shore to the 20- foot depth
contour, (ii) dredging to maintain a channel not greater than 20- foot depth from the Inlet to
Roanoke Island, and (iii) implementation of a sand management system whereby sand and
sediment that will accumulate on the north side of the inlet will be physically transported to the
beaches to the south of the jetty using a pipeline dredge; and
WHEREAS, CAPES and its adjoining rivers, bays, and tributaries support juvenile and adult life
stages of a ma jority of the commercially, recreationally, and ecologically important species in
the Mid- and South Atlantic coast; and
WHEREAS, Oregon Inlet is the principle corridor for ingress of larval forms of commercially,
ecologically, and recreationally important fin- and shell- fish to northern regions of the CAPES
and further serves as a corridor for emigration of juvenile and adults of species which use the
near- and off-shore environment for spawning grounds in the Mid- and South-Atlantic; and
WHEREAS, the dual jetty system may cause major alterations in the hydrodynamics, which may
in turn impede the natural transport of fin- and shell- fish through the inlet, into and out of
nursery grounds of CAPES; and
WHEREAS, alterations in channel dimensio ns by the proposed jetty system, dredging and sand
bypass system may alter sand and sediment movement, which may reduce the quality and
quantity of habitats at or adjacent to Oregon Inlet that serve as spawning grounds for blue crabs
and red drum, both state- managed species in North Carolina; and
WHEREAS, the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council has designated Oregon Inlet a
Habitat Area of Particular Concern (HAPC), the highest tier of Essential Fish Habitat (EFH) –
habitat essential for supporting any of a number of stages of species of ecologically or
commercially important estuarine species; and
WHEREAS, North Carolina is in the process of implementing the 1997 Marine Fisheries Reform
Act, which requires extensive management of species under state management and long-term
enhancement of the habitat value of all coastal waters, including Oregon Inlet and adjacent
regions; therefore, be it
RESOLVED, that the North Carolina Chapter of the American Fisheries Society (NCAFS),
which includes fisheries professionals from throughout North Carolina’s academic institutions,
state and federal management agencies, and private institutions, supports efforts to maintain safe
navigable waters through Oregon Inlet while minimizing adverse environmental impact to
coastal fisheries populations; furthermore, be it
RESOLVED, that the NCAFS supports the position of National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration, the US Fish and Wildlife Service, and the National Park Service that the
proposed construction of the dua l-jetty system at Oregon Inlet poses a significant potential threat
to the health, reproduction, and survival of fisheries and coastal resources; furthermore, be it
RESOLVED, that the NCAFS supports research in the form of directed experimental field
studies and modeling to more fully understand the potential impacts that constructing such a jetty
system would have on the reproduction, survival and health of coastal fisheries resources;
furthermore, be it
RESOLVED, that the President of the NCAFS shall communicate these sentiments of the
membership in a letter to the appropriate legislative body or bodies, including but not limited to
the Chair of the Council on Environmental Quality.
Approved by the membership on 6th day of February 2002.

[LuckyLady]

U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service http://www.fws.gov/southeast/publications/Orinlet.pdf
Proposed Dual Jetty System
at Oregon Inlet on North
Carolina’s Outer Banks
Issue
Status
Background
Aerial photograph of Oregon Inlet in 1996 looking
north from Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge to
the Cape Hatteras National Seashore on Bodie
Island. The Bonner Bridge across the inlet is 33
feet wide and 2.4 miles long. Sand has been trapped
by the terminal groin constructed during 1989-91 at
the north end of Pea Island. The groin would form
the landward end of a south jetty. Photo courtesy of
S&ME, Inc.
The Manteo (Shallowbag) Bay Project was authorized by Congress in 1970. The Corps
of Engineers was directed to deepen the navigation channel through Oregon Inlet on
the Outer Banks of North Carolina (Dare County) from 14 to 20 feet and maintain that
channel with a dual jetty system. The jetties would require a complex sand bypassing
system to mitigate the disruption of natural sand movement. A project goal is to
stabilize the inlet that moves naturally in response to dynamic coastal processes. The
north jetty would be within the Cape Hatteras National Seashore (CHNS) and the
south jetty would be within Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge (PINWR).
In January 1999 the Wilmington District, U. S. Army Corps of Engineers released a
third supplement to the original Final Environmental Impact Statement of 1977. The
document included a new design for the
dual jetty system, a sand management
plan, project economics, and a proposal
for environmental monitoring. The
project purpose was changed from
enabling larger vessels to catch more fish
to enhancement of safe, reliable
navigation through the inlet. Department
of the Interior (DOI) comments
reiterated its previous position that the
jetty alternative should be rejected in
favor of a dredging alternative. The DOI
also stated that because of potential
environmental impacts of the jetties, the
project may be referred to the Council on
Environmental Quality. The National
Marine Fisheries Service also opposed
the jetties alternative and recommended
that an adequate channel be maintained
by dredging. In light of overfishing in the
area, resource agencies have questioned
the need for such a large increase in
channel depth, a major justification for
the jetty system.
The Corps’ estimated economic first cost is $66 million dollars. Two academic
economists reviewed the Corps’ recent benefit-cost analysis and determined that
project costs over 50 years would exceed project benefits, i.e., the project had a
benefit-cost ratio of less than one. These reports were provided to the Wilmington
Corps District.
The Wilmington Corps District indicates that a Final Environmental Impact
Statement will be released in late 1999 or early 2000.
The project area is a complex and dynamic inlet-barrier island ecosystem. The barrier
islands serve as an important pathway for migrating birds and the inlet is a vital
passageway for fish between the ocean and estuaries. Over the course of a year
approximately 500 vertebrate species may use or pass through the project area. In
recent years, the federally listed piping plover has nested on sandy flats adjacent to
the inlet. Sea turtles nest on area beaches. The unspoiled beaches are an important
destination for tourists.
Recommendation
For more information, please contact:
U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service
Wilmington District
U. S. Army Corps of Engineers
All parties acknowledge that the exact responses of this
inlet-barrier island ecosystem to the project cannot be
accurately predicted. The Service is concerned that the
jetties would severely disrupt the natural hydrology and
sediment distribution within the project area. In 1982 the
Service’s Southeastern Regional Director determined that
the jetties would not be compatible with the purposes for
which PINWR was established. The sand bypassing plan
requires that sand trapped by the jetties be transferred to
area beaches. The Corps would assume responsibility for
any jetty-induced beach erosion for six miles north and south
of the inlet. The sand disposal operation would result in
highly artificial beach conditions and disposal areas would
resemble construction zones during bypassing operations.
The jetties would eliminate sediment inputs to Pamlico
Sound and reduce the area of important habitats (e.g., tidal
marshes, tidal mudflats, sea grass beds) that depend on
sediment passing through the inlet to counteract natural
erosion.
There is a serious unresolved issue regarding the extent to
which the larvae of marine fishes that must be carried by
natural currents through the inlet to estuarine nursery areas
would be blocked by the jetties. The management authority
of the Service at PINWR would be subordinated to demands
for the operation of the jetties and sand bypassing system.
Increased erosion and island overwash resulting from the
jetties may adversely impact waterfowl impoundments on
refuge.
Distinguished coastal geologists outside the Corps have
identified significant uncertainties regarding the Corps’
ability (from both the engineering and financial
perspectives) to maintain the natural functions and unique
habitats of the inlet-barrier island ecosystem. There may not
be an engineering fix for every unexpected, adverse
environmental consequence produced by the dual jetty
system. The natural movement of the Outer Banks barrier island system in response
to a rising sea level or the natural creation of a new inlet that could cause the closure of
Oregon Inlet are natural processes beyond the control of the Corps. If it were possible
for the Corps to develop an engineering solution to a given environmental impact,
there can never be an assurance that the solution would be funded.
Current and foreseeable fisheries stocks, access to which is the principal justification
for the jetties, do not justify the increased access for larger vessels that would require
the proposed 20-foot channel. Therefore, the Service maintains that a safe, reliable
navigation channel for sustainable fish harvests can be maintained by dredging. Since
the authorizing legislation directed a specific channel depth and construction of the
jetties, the Corps is obligated to pursue the jetty alternative. The Service should
pursue a strategy for Congressional deauthorization of the specified channel increase
to 20 feet in depth and construction of the jetties. The 1970 legislation should be
replaced with a mandate for the Corps to develop a range of alternatives to ensure
safe, reliable navigation through Oregon Inlet that fully considers fisheries resources
and the unique environmental values provided by lands administered by the DOI.
Howard F. Hall
Fish and Wildlife biologist
Raleigh Field Office
P. O. Box 33626
Raleigh, NC 27636-3726
Telephone: 919/856 4520, ext. 27

[LuckyLady]

Accession Number : ADA136610

Title : Jetty Stability Study, Oregon Inlet, North Carolina. Hydraulic Model Investigation. http://oai.dtic.mil/oai/oai?verb=get...fier=ADA136610

Descriptive Note : Final technical rept. Jan 76-Oct 82,

Corporate Author : COASTAL ENGINEERING RESEARCH CENTER VICKSBURG MS

Personal Author(s) : Carver,R. D. ; Davidson,D. D.

Report Date : SEP 1983

Pagination or Media Count : 449

Abstract : An undistorted-scale hydraulic model study was conducted to provide input for design optimization of a rubble-mound jetty system proposed for Oregon Inlet, North Carolina. Two-dimensional (trunk) tests consisted of (a) developing stable stone and dolos sections (base designs) for a depth-limited breaking wave of 15 sec, 13.6 ft at a design swl of +5.5 ft; (b) subjecting the stable base designs obtained at the +5.5 ft swl to storm-surge hydrographs with peak levels of +6.5, +7.5, +8.5, +9.5, +10,5. and +11.5 ft NGVD and obtaining damage as a function of swl; (c) redesigning the armoring schemes for stable sections of +7.5 ft swl with a depth-limited breaking wave of 15 sec, 15.5 ft and subjecting these plans to storm-surge hydrographs of +8.5, +9.5, +10.5, and +11.5 ft NGVD and again determining damage as a function of swl; and (d) redesigning both the stone and dolos sections for stability at an swl of +9.5 ft with a depth-limited breaking wave of 15 sec, 17.2 ft. Three-dimensional tests were conducted to determine stable stone and dolos head sections for 15-sec, 17.6 ft waves at angles of wave attack equal to 0, 22.5, 45, 67.5, and 90 deg.

Descriptors : *Waterfront structures, North Carolina, Inlets(Waterways), Piers, Rock, Stability, Ocean waves, Model tests, Hydraulic models

Subject Categories : CIVIL ENGINEERING
STRUCTURAL ENGINEERING AND BUILDING TECHNOLOGY

Distribution Statement : APPROVED FOR PUBLIC RELEASE





Accession Number : ADA136610

Title : Jetty Stability Study, Oregon Inlet, North Carolina. Hydraulic Model Investigation.

Descriptive Note : Final technical rept. Jan 76-Oct 82,

Corporate Author : COASTAL ENGINEERING RESEARCH CENTER VICKSBURG MS

Personal Author(s) : Carver,R. D. ; Davidson,D. D.

Report Date : SEP 1983

Pagination or Media Count : 449

Abstract : An undistorted-scale hydraulic model study was conducted to provide input for design optimization of a rubble-mound jetty system proposed for Oregon Inlet, North Carolina. Two-dimensional (trunk) tests consisted of (a) developing stable stone and dolos sections (base designs) for a depth-limited breaking wave of 15 sec, 13.6 ft at a design swl of +5.5 ft; (b) subjecting the stable base designs obtained at the +5.5 ft swl to storm-surge hydrographs with peak levels of +6.5, +7.5, +8.5, +9.5, +10,5. and +11.5 ft NGVD and obtaining damage as a function of swl; (c) redesigning the armoring schemes for stable sections of +7.5 ft swl with a depth-limited breaking wave of 15 sec, 15.5 ft and subjecting these plans to storm-surge hydrographs of +8.5, +9.5, +10.5, and +11.5 ft NGVD and again determining damage as a function of swl; and (d) redesigning both the stone and dolos sections for stability at an swl of +9.5 ft with a depth-limited breaking wave of 15 sec, 17.2 ft. Three-dimensional tests were conducted to determine stable stone and dolos head sections for 15-sec, 17.6 ft waves at angles of wave attack equal to 0, 22.5, 45, 67.5, and 90 deg.

Descriptors : *Waterfront structures, North Carolina, Inlets(Waterways), Piers, Rock, Stability, Ocean waves, Model tests, Hydraulic models

Subject Categories : CIVIL ENGINEERING
STRUCTURAL ENGINEERING AND BUILDING TECHNOLOGY

Distribution Statement : APPROVED FOR PUBLIC RELEASE





Accession Number : ADA136610

Title : Jetty Stability Study, Oregon Inlet, North Carolina. Hydraulic Model Investigation.

Descriptive Note : Final technical rept. Jan 76-Oct 82,

Corporate Author : COASTAL ENGINEERING RESEARCH CENTER VICKSBURG MS

Personal Author(s) : Carver,R. D. ; Davidson,D. D.

Report Date : SEP 1983

Pagination or Media Count : 449

Abstract : An undistorted-scale hydraulic model study was conducted to provide input for design optimization of a rubble-mound jetty system proposed for Oregon Inlet, North Carolina. Two-dimensional (trunk) tests consisted of (a) developing stable stone and dolos sections (base designs) for a depth-limited breaking wave of 15 sec, 13.6 ft at a design swl of +5.5 ft; (b) subjecting the stable base designs obtained at the +5.5 ft swl to storm-surge hydrographs with peak levels of +6.5, +7.5, +8.5, +9.5, +10,5. and +11.5 ft NGVD and obtaining damage as a function of swl; (c) redesigning the armoring schemes for stable sections of +7.5 ft swl with a depth-limited breaking wave of 15 sec, 15.5 ft and subjecting these plans to storm-surge hydrographs of +8.5, +9.5, +10.5, and +11.5 ft NGVD and again determining damage as a function of swl; and (d) redesigning both the stone and dolos sections for stability at an swl of +9.5 ft with a depth-limited breaking wave of 15 sec, 17.2 ft. Three-dimensional tests were conducted to determine stable stone and dolos head sections for 15-sec, 17.6 ft waves at angles of wave attack equal to 0, 22.5, 45, 67.5, and 90 deg.

Descriptors : *Waterfront structures, North Carolina, Inlets(Waterways), Piers, Rock, Stability, Ocean waves, Model tests, Hydraulic models

Subject Categories : CIVIL ENGINEERING
STRUCTURAL ENGINEERING AND BUILDING TECHNOLOGY

Distribution Statement : APPROVED FOR PUBLIC RELEASE

[Captain Fred Archer]

All I can say is that I've been through some wild inlets around the country and world...Oregon Inlets - both of them, the one in the Northwest and the Carolina one - are easily the worst I've encountered when they have their "bad hats" on! YIKES!

[CaptainSteve]

you know OI is bad when you come in on a calm day and there are kids surfing right next to your boat.

[Greeneyed Pickle]

you know OI is bad when you come in on a calm day and there are kids surfing right next to your boat.

I haven't seen that and I'm hoping to keep it that way!

Tim