The Rodanthe Emergency Ferry Channel (REFC) is essential for transporting emergencypersonnel, equipment, and supplies to Hatteras Island communities following any event that renders the Herbert C. Bonner Bridge and/or North Carolina Highway 12 impassable. The N. C.Ferry Division runs ferries during these emergency situations from Stumpy Point to Rodanthe. Maintaining this channel is a public safety issue and addressing any associated logisticalchallenges is a NC DOT priority. The REFC is currently too shallow to allow safe passage of the ferries. There is only one landward dredge material deposition site available, but it is not large enough to accommodate the amount of material generated by dredging the channel to necessary depths/ widths. There are limited locations available on land due to dense residential and business development in the area, as well as U. S. Fish and Wildlife property.
In coastal regions sediment is now regarded as a critical commodity that allows stabilizing natural habitats such as marshes and submerged aquatic vegetation (SAV) to maintain themselves in the face of long and short-term changes in water levels. However, sediment can also have detrimental impacts on these same habitats if it is not applied appropriately. Selection of deposition sites that minimize environmental damage and maximize environmental benefits is necessarily an interdisciplinary venture. This project provides an improved understanding of the geological, ecological and cultural factors affecting siting of dredge material deposition sites in shallow coastal waters. Specifically, we provide perspective on disposal options in the REFC area and decision matrices to make and defend decisions regarding dredge material deposition sites for the REFC. The decision making framework we present should be applicable across multiple NC DOT sites. More specifically, we explored the feasibility of sediment deposition approaches including multihabitat island development, reef creation, shoreline/marsh reconstruction, marsh accretion through thin-layer disposal, and local usage.
