Officials with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Wilmington District said Friday that vessels were unable to navigate a portion of Oregon Inlet along the Marc Basnight Bridge.
The Corps surveyed the condition of the federal channel at Oregon Inlet Wednesday in response to the weather system that hit the coast during the week of May 8.
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A portion of the marked federal channel between buoys 17 and 21 was completely shoaled in, with depths of 2-3 feet at mean lower low water and unnavigable for most vessels. MLLW is the 19-year average lowest of the two daily low tides.
Depths are too shallow for the Corps to use shallow draft-dredges to clear the channel.
The Coast Guard is expected to publish a notice to mariners concerning channel conditions and advising that the current channel markers will be removed in the coming days, officials said.
The Coast Guard and Corps were working together to investigate other potential areas where a marked channel can be established to provide access to and from Oregon Inlet.
