Rigell: Use old barges to stem Tangier Island erosion

U.S. Rep. Scott Rigell thinks he might have an answer to the erosion problems that threaten to wash away Tangier Island: anchor old barges along the shoreline, without any cost to taxpayers.

Rigell, a freshman Republican from Virginia Beach, also represents the Eastern Shore and Tangier Island. He says a local salvage company is willing to donate as many as four barges to act as breakwaters near the main channel leading into Tangier Harbor.

Wave action beats up many of the commercial fishing boats that call Tangier Island home. The fishing mecca in the middle of the Chesapeake Bay is losing between 4 and 12 feet a year to rising sea levels, exposure to storms, and sinking land.

"These people are desperate for help, else there might not be a Tangier Island anymore," Rigell said in a phone interview Friday.

On Monday, Rigell is scheduled to be on the island to discuss his rescue plan with Tangier's mayor and the local contractor, Bay Bridge Enterprises. The Chesapeake-based company not only salvages barges, but also recycles unwanted ships from the James River Reserve Fleet, also known as the Ghost Fleet.

Rigell said he expects to move quickly, perhaps deploying the barges within the next month. The barges would be thoroughly cleaned before being placed.

But state regulators and scientists said such a project would have to undergo rigorous review and be approved by the Virginia Marine Resources Commission, the Army Corps of Engineers and the Coast Guard.

Scott Hardaway, a coastal engineering expert with the Virginia Institute of Marine Science, said the Eastern Shore already has marine vessels acting as breakwaters - concrete ships anchored off Kiptopeke State Park.

He said much more information is needed before regulators would agree to the project: How would the barges be anchored? At what depths would they be placed? Are there underwater grasses on the site?

"I would definitely say the commission would have some concerns with placing barges in the Bay like that," said Hank Badger, who reviews shoreline construction projects for the state marine commission. "But hey, stranger things have been approved, and if it can help, I'm sure we'd look at it."

Federal and state funds have been used to build a seawall near Tangier Island's airfield and sewage treatment plant. The Army Corps of Engineers also is studying the placement of a new jetty on the fast-eroding north end of the island, but those projects can take years to finish.

Tangier cannot wait that long, Rigell argued, noting that federal money is scarce these days.

"This doesn't cost anything," he said, "and we could get them some temporary relief by using the barges."

Also next week, Rigell intends to discuss another dicey issue on the Eastern Shore: beach parking at Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge.

The refuge is considering buying a neighboring campground in case natural forces continue to eat away at beachfront parking areas.

Citing concerns from Chincoteague business and tourism interests, Rigell said he is worried that the government wants to do away with such waterside parking and instead shuttle visitors to the beach in trams and buses.

"I'm deeply concerned about a hyperactive, overly intrusive federal government impacting one of the great tourist attractions on the Eastern Shore," he said.

Kim Halpin, deputy refuge manager, said no decisions have been made and officials are only looking ahead for issues that might arise over the next 20 years. One of those could be a loss of beachfront parking due to encroaching sands and water along the barrier island, she added.

"Our parking areas are shrinking now," Halpin said. "There might not be land available in the future, so we're looking to preserve that" by negotiating for the campground sale.

Scott Harper, (757) 446-2340, scott.harper@pilotonline.com