The Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway Association (AIWA) met last week at the Blockade Runner, where its members discussed the organization’s efforts to ensure that the Intracoastal Waterway (ICW) is properly maintained.

In addition to executive director Rosemary Lynch’s annual report, the members heard presentations by Christine Brayman, deputy district engineer for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and a panel discussion by Corps representatives from Wilmington, Norfolk, Va., Savannah, Ga., and Jacksonville, Fla.

Research physical scientist Jeffery Waters demonstrated a regional sediment management program, and other presentations outlined state and local initiatives to protect the waterway and the progress of an economic impact study being conducted by the N.C. Coastal Advisory Committee.

The economic impact study, which started in June 2005 and should be completed by fall 2008, will provide data on the effect of the waterway’s condition on recreational boaters, commercial boat operators, marine-related businesses and property values along the waterway.

By quantifying the impact of the waterway on the region’s economy, the group hopes to bolster its argument that it is vital that the maintenance of the ICW be properly funded. The federal government is required by law to fund the waterway’s maintenance but has consistently reduced the Corps of Engineers’ budget to do so in recent years.

The Corps, in turn, is forced to prioritize its maintenance projects, neglecting maintenance in areas that are not as heavily used for commercial shipping.
A limited amount of funding is available from state and local governments to take up the slack left by the federal government’s funding shortfalls. Last week, the New Hanover County Board of Commissioners chose not to approve an expenditure of funds from the county’s collection of a room occupancy tax to perform dredging in the ICW near Carolina Beach, fearing that it would set a precedent.

The AIWA currently supports lobbying efforts to encourage funding from the federal government, but the group is also looking for other ways to raise funds. One of the questions asked of boaters in the study survey is intended to gauge boaters’ willingness to pay an additional fee to help fund ICW maintenance.

Lynch estimated that about $30 million is needed to restore the waterway to its 12-foot required depth from Virginia to Florida.