THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, February 26, 1995 TAG: 9502260051
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B1 EDITION: NORTH CAROLINA
SOURCE: BY LANE DEGREGORY, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: OREGON INLET LENGTH: Long : 119 lines
After spending 25 years trying unsuccessfully to get two rock jetties built at Oregon Inlet, proponents say they are still hoping to get money for the project this year.
North Carolina Senate leader Marc Basnight said he is optimistic that Congress will appropriate funds for it by fall, despite belt-tightening at all levels of government.
A meeting scheduled for 11 a.m. Monday in Raleigh will update state and local officials about the jetties project, and its projected benefits.
``I'm prepared to do whatever is necessary to enhance that jetties project,'' Basnight, D-Dare, said Thursday from his Raleigh office. ``No one has requested a congressional appropriation yet. But we're eager to start that process.''
Oregon Inlet is the only outlet to the sea in the 140 miles between Cape Henry, Va., and Hatteras Inlet, N.C. It lies between Nags Head and Pea Island. Shoaling in recent years has prompted some watermen to label it the most dangerous inlet on the East Coast.
Since 1960, at least 25 lives and an equal number of boats have been lost at Oregon Inlet.
In 1970, Congress authorized construction of two rock jetties, each 1.5 miles long. Engineers say the solid structures would slow sand movement and keep the channel open.
But environmentalists worry that jetties may not work, and could cause erosion of Pea and Hatteras Island beaches.
They say that hardening the constantly shifting inlet will harm beaches elsewhere on the Outer Banks.
A Sierra Club spokesman has said that his group's principle concern is that the jetties would increase erosion.
Bill Holman has said that the group is ``afraid that Pea Island, which already has severe erosion problems, might face even more if the jetties are built. We're also concerned that the jetties might not work - at all.''
In 1980, Congress approved initial federal funding so the Army Corps of Engineers could begin building the jetties. But the U.S. Interior Department, which owns the land on either end of the inlet, has not approved the project. Millions of dollars have been spent since then studying the jetties - and their possible effects.
This winter, newly elected U.S. Rep. Walter B. Jones Jr., a Republican who represents most of the North Carolina coast, introduced a bill to give the corps all the public land it needs to build the jetties. The Oregon Inlet Protection Act would transfer land from the Interior Department to the corps. It would not fund construction of the rock walls. The Congressional Subcommittee on Water Resources and Environment is debating that bill.
``It's true that the money to build jetties is not on the books at this time,'' Jones said through a spokesman last week. ``But I was assured by a reliable source in the corps that if the land transfer went through, the money would follow.''
A 1990 study said it would cost about $77.6 million to build the jetties. But a recent update of that study, which will be presented Monday in the governor's press conference room, indicates that construction expenses would be about $97.5 million. For every $1 that taxpayers put into the project, the study says, North Carolina's economy will receive about $1.70 in benefits.
``With inlet stabilization, the tourist, service, construction and real estate industries will be stimulated,'' says the most recent report.
Over the first 10 years, the report claims, ``Jetties will increase the nation's supply of seafood by about 20,268,000 pounds. The project will increase income to the commercial fishermen by about $6.1 million.''
Titled ``An Assessment of the National and Regional Benefits Associated with the Oregon Inlet Project,'' the report was written by former Army Corps of Engineers official Lawrence W. Saunders. It was financed with a $24,800 grant from the Northeastern Economic Development Council. It aims to ``identify additional arguments supporting construction of the jetties project.''
Since 1990, the report says, about half of the 312 commercial fishing vessels that used to bring their catches through Oregon Inlet now sell their fish in Hampton Roads. The value of North Carolina commercial seafood landings has decreased by $8.7 million. About 200 packing-house and truck-driving jobs have been lost to Virginia.
If the jetties are built, the study says, vessels and fish-packing operations that have moved to Virginia will return to the Outer Banks. Recreational use of the inlet will double and at least 835 new jobs will be generated, the study says.
``The project is expected to stimulate the expansion of marinas, trigger investment in seafood processing plants and stimulate the upgrading of the basic infrastructure serving the tourist and commercial fishing industries,'' the study says. ``The project could generate significant cost savings to the state by essentially stabilizing the shoreline for six miles south of the inlet and eliminating the need for periodic repair and replacement of N.C. Highway 12.''
Each year, the Corps of Engineers spends about $6.4 million dredging the inlet. Workers are able to keep a 14-foot-deep channel clear about 35 percent of the time, says the report.
The corps would have to spend about $7.3 million annually to maintain the jetties. For the additional money, Saunders said, a 20-foot-deep channel could be kept clear about 90 percent of the time.
``We're coordinating now with the Department of the Interior about sand-bypassing issues, which are really the main issue,'' said coastal engineer Bill Dennis of the corps' Wilmington office, referring to ways to keep the jetties from causing erosion. ``We're looking at fisheries resources, management plans and the projections of future landings.
``Until those issues are resolved, the corps can't prepare a budget request for the jetties,'' Dennis said. ``We're hoping to complete these studies by spring. But I don't know when we will actually ask Congress for the money.''
Most funds for jetties construction would come from federal sources. State and local coffers are expected to contribute about 28 percent of the final cost, said Dare County Oregon Inlet Waterways Commission Chairman Robert Williams. Maintenance expenses would be supported almost entirely from congressional appropriations.
``We know the first thing we must do is get permits for the land,'' Williams said last week from his Manteo office. ``Jones' bill would do that, without any money involved.
``The budget for jetties may be zero dollars this year. We understand and accept that,'' he added. ``The money fight will have to come later.''
Williams said that since 1970, ``Every North Carolina administration, both Republican and Democratic, has said we'll fund our part of the project. We still believe in the merits of this project. We're still very optimistic that it will happen.'' by CNB