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Officials Struggle With Hoopers Island Channel Dredging Issue

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The popular channel near Hoopers Island finds the Dorchester County Council struggling to get it dredged.

The channel has not been cleaned up in the last four years.

Council president Jay Newcomb tells WBOC that the Army Corp of Engineers has cut back on the general maintenance of the channel.

He adds there is no specific project that would result in clearing up the waterway and no funding for dredging.

The Army Corp of Engineers also told the television station that while they recognize the importance of dredging the channel there was no money for it now.

A Corp spokesman said that the funds are allocated on the economic impact of the project.

Meanwhile, watermen have to use an extra 10-to-15 gallons of fuel to avoid the area completely.

Don Rush is the News Director at Delmarva Public Media. An award-winning journalist, Don reports major local issues of the day, from sea level rise, to urban development, to the changing demographics of Delmarva.