Dredging up alarm on the Lynnhaven

LIKE A NOR'EASTER that sends tidal waters surging, fear and rumors about dredging in the Lynnhaven River have stirred Virginia Beach residents into a frothy vortex.

At last week's public hearing on the site recommended for a dredge transfer station, adjacent to the Lynnhaven Boat Ramp, about 250 people showed up to express their angst. Many of them live near the site.

Some of their concerns were understandable. Industrial activity will mar the natural views of the water; traffic will back up on Shore Drive as dump trucks wait to enter the road. Other issues were exaggerated: "Trucks the size of an aircraft" endangering pedestrians and boaters. Boat-barge collisions. A wafting odor of sewage. A runaway barge hitting the Lesner Bridge.

Residents accused city leaders of putting politics ahead of common sense. As is their right, they have petitioned council members to find another place for the project.

But the scare tactics need to stop. Assuming the city monitors the project to make sure it's meeting all safety requirements, the recommendation, while far from ideal, makes more sense than the few other possibilities on the river.

Here's what we know: The dredging of the western branch of the Lynnhaven, required to maintain navigation of the river, is scheduled to start in September and last eight months. So it won't affect prime boating and beachgoing season. About 75,000 cubic yards of muck will be scooped with a backhoe onto a barge, transported to a transfer site, then trucked to a dump site near Oceana. The trucks will make the trip about 45 or 50 times a day, or about once every 10 minutes. The work will be done on weekdays, not weekends.

Beach staff have recommended - but the city has not made a final decision on - locating the transfer site next to the Lynnhaven Boat Ramp at Crab Creek and building a permanent steel bulkhead there. The city says if it chooses the Crab Creek site, it will require flaggers to direct the trucks, will build safety regulations into all contracts, and will have complete control over the conditions of any future use of the transfer station, including hours of operation.

The odor of the dredged material, which will be transported in the sealed bed of a dump truck, will be akin to the smell of low tide, city officials said. The project will cause an increase in traffic on Shore Drive of less than one-quarter of 1 percent. The project, which will benefit all boaters who want to navigate the Lynnhaven River, will deepen the channels leading to Thalia, Little Neck, Kings Grant, Pembroke Shores and Saw Pen Point.

With this project, and with every future dredging work involving the transfer site, the city is obligated to ensure not only residents' safety, but also that the work doesn't mar the recreational use the dredging is intended to help.