Updated June 2026

More than 1,500 supporters helped secure $2.6 million in emergency dredging funding for the Little Wicomico River Jetty. But the project is not complete.

The permit has not yet been issued. Dredging has not yet begun. Long-term rehabilitation of the jetty remains unfunded.

• Public support remains essential to ensure emergency dredging moves forward and long-term rehabilitation of the Little Wicomico River Jetty remains a priority.  Please sign today—no donation is required.

The Little Wicomico River is a 9-mile tidal waterway with more than 123 miles of shoreline, located where the Potomac River meets the Chesapeake Bay. For more than 420 years, this river has provided safe navigation and access to the Chesapeake Bay for families, watermen, and visitors. In 1935, it was formally authorized as a federal navigation channel under the Rivers and Harbors Act. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers designed the project with an 8-foot deep, 150-foot wide channel protected by stone jetties and bulkheads, ensuring a vital connection between the Chesapeake Bay and the Little Wicomico River.

Today, however, the Little Wicomico River Jetty at Smith Point—the river's only entrance to the Chesapeake Bay—is dangerously shoaled. Last dredged in 2014, the channel now consists of a narrow, tidally shifting route with depths reported at less than 3 feet in some areas, while much of the authorized channel is impassable due to shoaling.

In January 2026, the Virginia Marine Resources Commission approved $2.6 million in emergency dredging funding because the public safety, navigation, and economic concerns were already clear. The Joint Permit Application submitted by Northumberland County and the Northern Neck Planning District Commission remains under review as part of a multi-agency permitting process. We remain hopeful the permit review can be completed in a timely manner so dredging can begin this fall.

⚠️ What's at Stake?

• Safe navigation for recreational and commercial users of 3+ marinas and ~800 docks and ramps
• Daily access for local watermen --many 3rd, 4th, and 5th generation-fishing and crabbing in the Chesapeake Bay-now being affected by shoaling
• Oyster growers & seafood processors operations that depend on open water routes-now being affected by shoaling
• Charter boat operations that rely on direct Bay access-boats damaged and awaiting repair due to shoaling
• Public safety is at risk, with Smith Point Sea Rescue—an all-volunteer lifesaving organization—forced to navigate dangerous conditions at the Jetty every time they launch or return from a rescue mission.  Update:  Smith Point Sea Rescue was forced to move their most capable boat as they could not guarantee access to Bay due to shoaling.  Many of their calls are right outside of the Little Wicomico Jetty at Smith Point due to the confluence of waters and weather on the Bay.  They have now relocated this boat 10 miles away when minutes matter for marine rescues
• Economic loss from boat services and repairs because they can no longer navigate through the dangerous shoaling to the marinas on the Little Wicomico River-Marinas report decline in business
• Chesapeake Bay ecology, with critical fish habitats at risk as water flow reduces-less water flow for the extensive 650 acres of oyster operations on the Little Wicomico, and the spat they produce for oyster restoration projects in the Chesapeake Bay  which contribute to Chesapeake Bay water filtering 

Recent rescue incidents involving grounded and disabled vessels over Memorial Day weekend near the jetties demonstrate that this remains an active public safety concern.

Why Your Voice Still Matters

Many people assume the project is complete because emergency dredging funding has been approved.

It is not.

The permit has not yet been issued, dredging has not yet begun, and long-term rehabilitation of the jetty structure remains unfunded.

The difference between a funded project and a completed project is continued public engagement.

One of the most common questions asked by government officials, agencies, and elected representatives is whether public support remains strong.

Every new signature helps answer that question.

More than 1,500 supporters have already signed this petition, helping elevate the Little Wicomico River Jetty from a local concern to a recognized Chesapeake Bay public safety, navigation, and working waterfront issue. 

Continued public engagement helps ensure this project remains a priority as permitting, dredging, and long-term planning move forward.

✍️ Please Take Action

Your signature is your voice.

Please sign today and share this petition with your family, friends, boating networks, marina neighbors, and anyone who values safe Chesapeake Bay access. No donation is necessary, and you will receive project updates automatically.

Chesapeake Bay access is one of Virginia's greatest assets. 
Please help us keep this project moving forward.

Let's Dredge-And Repair-the Little Wicomico River Jetty!