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21 May 2022
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It looks as thought eh nor’easter that parked itself off the coast of the Outer Banks for a couple of days last week, may have had more impact than originally thought.

There were a couple of houses in Rodanthe that had been at risk from the sea for some time that finally fell, and that made national news.

But we just found out yesterday that the three days of pounding waves and high winds pushed so much sand south that Oregon Inlet is unnavigable.

The US Army Corps of Engineers surveyed the channel between buoys 17 and 21 where there channel is supposed to be. There’s not much there and the press release the Corps of Engineers released was too the point.

“The marked federal channel along the Marc Basnight Bridge between Buoys 17 and 21 is completely shoaled in (indicating depths of 2-3 feet at MLLW) and unnavigable for most vessels,” the release read.

It then went on to point to a complicating issue. 

“The shallow depths of the current channel will not permit use of the USACE Shallow Draft Fleet dredges to clear the channel,” they added.

Oregon Inlet is the major water route from the northern Outer Banks to the sea. If it isn’t open, that will be a problem for commercial and sport fishermen.

However, we do have numerous reports that local operators have been able to get in and out of the inlet, although they are not using the marked channel. It is an additional risk for them and if they run aground in an unmarked channel, there is substantial financial risk.

Nonetheless, it does look as thought local boats are still managing to get out to sea, even as the Corps of Engineers figures out how they’re going to fix the problem.

The Outer Banks sure is an ever-changing environment. See for your self how beautiful it is when staying in a Brindley Beach Vacations home.