BY US ARMY CORPS OF ENGINEERS
The US Army Corps of Engineers Norfolk (Va.) District Office will hold two public meetings about the Chesapeake Bay Oyster Recovery Program’s Tangier-Pocomoke Sound Project.
These open-house style meetings are designed for the public to attend at its convenience within the designated times and receive the same information at either meeting. One meeting will be held from 1-4 p.m. Jan. 30, 2025, at Tangier Combined Schools.
Completed in 2001, the original Tangier-Pocomoke Sound Oyster Recovery Project was the construction of an 150-acres of harvest reef and eight-acres of sanctuary reef throughout the Tangier-Pocomoke Sound using dredged fossil shell.
The Virginia Marine Resources Commission (VMRC) was the non-federal sponsor for the project contributing to the effort through the continued replenishment of existing reefs and fossil shell credits. Langenfelder Marine was the contractor.
The Norfolk District, in partnership with VMRC, decided to return to the region to explore the available bottom for construction of both harvest and sanctuary reefs.
The 2012 Master Plan restoration acreage for this area ranges from 3,000-5,900 acres. From 2024-2026, a planning effort will take place to determine the scale of the Tangier project and what type of assistance the Federal government can provide.
Design efforts are estimated to begin in 2026 with the first construction contract to be awarded in 2028. The predicted size of this project will likely result in a multi-phased approach with multiple construction contracts.
For information, visit https://www.nao.usace.army.mil/About/Projects/Oyster-Restoration/Tangier-Pocomoke-Sound/
Tangier Island, Virginia 