The Endless Dredge For Safe Passage

BoatU.S. and a diverse team of marine stakeholder partners drum up continual federal funding to hold off a relentless, naturally occurring phenomenon.

Breach Inlet is a narrow, shallow tidal waterway near Charleston Harbor passed by seasonal snowbird cruisers heading north or south, as well as local dayboaters and anglers on the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway, or AIWW. This South Carolina inlet is notorious for shoaling problems as material moves from the ocean through the inlet to settle in the AIWW.

Running the waterway in this area is markedly safer this season after the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers dredged some 700,000 cubic yards of sand over the winter and spring. The completed project marks the latest success by waterway advocates to coordinate dredging projects holistically along the entire 1,200 miles of protected water on this nautical highway that runs from Norfolk, Virginia, all the way down to Florida’s Key West.

“Breach Inlet is the fastest shoaling area in South Carolina, and one of the fastest shoaling areas along the entire marine highway, so this area would probably become unnavigable pretty quickly,” says Brad Pickel, executive director of the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway Association, a national nonprofit dedicated to securing funding and support for the maintenance of the AIWW. “In years past, there would be sections where boaters had to wait for a high tide to pass. What we’ve done over the past decade is identify the critical areas like Breach Inlet – which we know we need to dredge every two to three years – and make sure they are scheduled and funded appropriately.”

Partners & Allies

Longtime snowbirds remember the more challenging migrations of past years, including 2014 when the Army Corps received zero funding for dredging. “When it comes to government advocacy, it’s never one and done,” Pickel explains, “requiring us to meet with our elected officials on an annual basis to stress the importance of maintaining the complete length of the waterway.”

By “us,” he means AIWA, BoatU.S., and a network of partners with a vested interest in keeping “Marine Interstate 95” safely navigable from start to finish. These include state agencies and dredge companies, but also cruise lines, towboat operators, and massive commercial fleets.

“It takes the whole ecosystem of users to stress the value of the waterway,” says David Kennedy, manager of BoatU.S. Government Affairs and chairman of AIWA. BoatU.S. was a founding member of AIWA more than 25 years ago and continues to support its vital work for all waterway users.

Headwinds & Challenges

This year, for the ninth consecutive year, the Army Corps is managing projects in all five states along the AIWW. The agency’s $10.44 billion budget approved by Congress in January is higher than the $8.7 billion allocated for fiscal years 2024 and 2025. The Trump administration proposed to reduce the Corps’ FY27 maintenance budget to $6.6 billion, however, Congress will likely approve it at a higher level. This will be an ongoing budget fight, as dredging and maintenance of our waterways is critical to provide marine commercial businesses – and all boaters – safe navigation.

“Advocacy is always a challenge,” says Pickel. “We’re putting together a program that identifies critical areas, then we have to stress to legislators that those areas need to be dredged on a more frequent basis, so they need to be scheduled and funded appropriately. The challenge is always going to be keeping that going. Fortunately, many of our congressional representatives understand our needs and support our efforts to keep the federal funding flowing.”