Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway Association Conference

I have just returned from the 11th Annual Intracoastal Waterway Association Conference in Portsmouth, VA, which was held on November 18th and 19th. I found the conference to be very educational and informative. The AIWA has long been considered the voice of the the Waterway. From their website,

"The Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway Association proudly represents the interests of commercial and recreational users of the waterway. AIWA is the only organization dedicated to ensuring the future of the AIWW and, as such, we have earned the reputation of being “The Voice of the Waterway.” Our members hail from 39 states and Canada and include both commercial and recreational users.


The Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway (AIWW) extends 1,200 miles from Norfolk, Virginia to Key West, Florida. Some lengths consist of natural inlets, salt-water rivers, bays, and sounds; others are man-made canals. Congress authorized the creation of the AIWW in 1919 and the entire waterway was completed in 1940.  The US Army Corps of Engineers is responsible for maintaining the waterway."

During the Conference, a number of speakers made presentations on the state of the Waterway, current conditions and ongoing projects. Representatives for the Corps of Engineers for the Norfolk, Wilmington, Charleston, Savannah and Jacksonville Districts presented reports on the current state of the Waterway, as well as future projects and expectations. The biggest challenge to the Corps at this time is funding for future dredging needs and disposal of dredging materials along vast stretches of the Waterway. Despite the economic benefits to the communities along the Atlantic coast, and the number of jobs that could be created through economic revival of these communities, it appears there is little hope of getting the much needed funding for these projects from our current Congress. Many of the current projects now underway and funded are from the stimulus funds issued last year. I was shocked to hear that the controlling depth of the ICW through the state of Georgia is only six inches. That is correct, inches, and there are virtually no funds designated for dredging in Georgia other than the Port of Savannah. Even that is up in the air to some extent. 

Amy Larson, President of the National Waterways Conference, gave a chilling report on how the new Congress will affect the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway. Many in the room felt that most of the needed funding could be judged as Earmarks to the Congress and might be delayed or not funded altogether as the Earmark becomes a target for the new House and Senate members. Many members represent the commercial interests along the ICW and spoke of the challenges and loss of business, not only to their companies, but to major shipping ports along the east coast. All of this translates into job losses, something our representatives have sworn not to let happen. Yet many have taken a stand that will, in fact, cost jobs and loss of tax revenues. I was also surprised to hear that, in deciding whether to fund Waterway projects such as dredging, recreational interests are not included, and the decisions are, in fact, based on tonnage for commercial value. We did have a couple of Congressional representatives present on Friday, and my conclusion from listening to them was that they did not have a clue as to how this current Congress is going to act, react or be able to do business. A very sad state to say the least. 

It was not all doom and gloom; there will be dredging for the ICW at Miles, 117, 122, 153, 195, 286, 300, 321 and 330. Many of these areas are known problem spots like Lockwoods Folly, Matanzas Inlet and other shoal spots that we have dealt with for years. There will be no additional funding currently for the Savannah and Charleston Districts. In the Jacksonville District and much of Florida, 80% of the funding for dredging comes from the Florida Inland Navigation District. F.I.N.D is a special State Taxing District to raise funds for the maintenance and upkeep of the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterways in Florida.

On Friday evening, we had the opportunity to see the Waterway first hand from Mile 0 in Norfolk, on board the Carrie B, a replica of a 19th century paddlewheeler. It gave me the chance to talk with many of the members in a less formal atmosphere and get a real sense of the concern everyone had for the future of the Waterway. Everyone agreed that it will take a concerted effort from all concerned - the recreational user, the commercial users and the businesses and communities along the Waterway - in order to institute change and bring about any real progress.  If you have a vested interest, you need to contact all of your representatives in Washington, and encourage them to support the funding for these improvements. They need to understand how these projects are job creators and economic stimulators. If they see a pothole in the road, they understand it needs to be fixed. They can't see the impact the lack of dredging has on the people, communities and businesses along the ICW, so it lacks importance to them. They need to be made to see just how important this is.

That is my political rant for the year. I will try and get back to projects and happier boating stuff very soon. Thanks.