USCG Removes Buoys in Heavily Shoaled N.C. Inlets ATLANTIC BEACH, N.C. – The Coast Guard removed the navigational buoys from Lockwood’s Folly Inlet Thursday and plans to remove the navigational buoys from New River Inlet Tuesday because these North Carolina inlets have become too shallow for buoy tenders to safely operate.
The movement of sand and sediment has decreased the water depth in these two inlets, and it is too shallow for the 65-foot Coast Guard Cutter Blackberry to operate and safely access the buoys used to mark the channel.
Without the ability to access the buoys, it will not be possible for the Coast Guard to ensure that these navigational aids are accurately marking safe water. The buoys will be replaced when adequate depths are restored following Army Corps of Engineers maintenance dredging.
The Army Corps of Engineers Wilmington District conducted a survey of the water depths of the North Carolina ocean inlets Thursday and found there is sufficient water in New Topsail and Carolina Beach inlets to allow those buoys to stay. These two waterways were one of the four that the Army Corps said it would have to reduce the maintenance on due to budget constraints. The reductions were made in light of a policy decision to focus limited funding on waterways that have high commercial traffic.
The Coast Guard encourages boaters transiting these areas to be cautious and boat safely. Shoaling is a particularly shallow area in a navigable body of water that can create a hazard to navigation. Shoaling conditions are dynamic. Water depths can change radically and unevenly by the accumulation of silt or by the energy of passing storms.
One way to identify dangers on the water is to consult the Broadcast Notice to Mariners on Channel 22, VHF-FM radio, or the Local Notice to Mariners found at
Boaters are also encouraged to wear lifejackets, take a safe boating course, get a vessel safety check and never operate a boat under the influence. Additional boating safety information can be found at http://www.uscgboating.org/.
USCG Removes Buoys in Heavily Shoaled N.C. Inlets
ATLANTIC BEACH, N.C. – The Coast Guard removed the navigational buoys from Lockwood’s Folly Inlet Thursday and plans to remove the navigational buoys from New River Inlet Tuesday because these North Carolina inlets have become too shallow for buoy tenders to safely operate.
The movement of sand and sediment has decreased the water depth in these two inlets, and it is too shallow for the 65-foot Coast Guard Cutter Blackberry to operate and safely access the buoys used to mark the channel.
Without the ability to access the buoys, it will not be possible for the Coast Guard to ensure that these navigational aids are accurately marking safe water. The buoys will be replaced when adequate depths are restored following Army Corps of Engineers maintenance dredging.
The Army Corps of Engineers Wilmington District conducted a survey of the water depths of the North Carolina ocean inlets Thursday and found there is sufficient water in New Topsail and Carolina Beach inlets to allow those buoys to stay. These two waterways were one of the four that the Army Corps said it would have to reduce the maintenance on due to budget constraints. The reductions were made in light of a policy decision to focus limited funding on waterways that have high commercial traffic.
The Coast Guard encourages boaters transiting these areas to be cautious and boat safely. Shoaling is a particularly shallow area in a navigable body of water that can create a hazard to navigation. Shoaling conditions are dynamic. Water depths can change radically and unevenly by the accumulation of silt or by the energy of passing storms.
One way to identify dangers on the water is to consult the Broadcast Notice to Mariners on Channel 22, VHF-FM radio, or the Local Notice to Mariners found at
Boaters are also encouraged to wear lifejackets, take a safe boating course, get a vessel safety check and never operate a boat under the influence. Additional boating safety information can be found at http://www.uscgboating.org/.