It is Memorial Day Weekend — one of the busiest boating weekends on the Chesapeake Bay — and dangerous shoaling continues at the jetty entrance between the Chesapeake Bay and the Little Wicomico River.
For over four centuries, the Little Wicomico has provided safe navigation and access to the Chesapeake Bay for families, watermen, visitors, and emergency responders. In 1935, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers formally authorized and constructed this federal navigation channel under the Rivers and Harbors Act as an 8-foot deep, 150-foot wide entrance protected by stone jetties and bulkheads. Today, safe and reliable access through this federally authorized Chesapeake Bay entrance channel continues to matter to everyone who lives, works, boats, or responds to emergencies on the water.
But today, 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 Jetty currently has a very narrow channel with a depth of less than 3 feet in a tidally shifting, meandering channel, with the rest of the entrance impassable due to shoaling.
Local, state, and federal partners need to continue hearing that this project remains a top public safety, navigation, and working waterfront priority for the Chesapeake Bay community.
In just the past several days, Smith Point Sea Rescue (SPSR) responded to two separate incidents near the jetty: https://smithpointsearescue.com/
⚓ 1300 hrs on May 21, 2026-A 40-foot catamaran grounded twice attempting to enter through the shoaled jetties before ultimately requiring escort assistance into the marina.
⚓ 2030 hrs on May 22, 2026- Smith Point Sea Rescue (SPSR) received a call from the US Coast Guard regarding a disabled vessel near the mouth of the Potomac River that required assistance. With nightfall, extremely rough seas and high winds, the captain of the disabled vessel was warned not to attempt entry into Smith Point due to dangerous shoaling conditions. The vessel was forced to divert approximately 12 miles south to Reedville, traveling in dangerous conditions for safe harbor.
Back in January, the Virginia Marine Resources Commission (VMRC) approved $2.6 million in emergency dredging funding, pending permit approval, because the safety and economic concerns were already clear. Today—four months later-- the Joint Permit Application for emergency dredging remains pending before VMRC.
Our Dredge the Little Wicomico Jetty coalition continues working alongside Northumberland County, Northern Neck (Regional) Planning District Commission, VMRC, elected officials, and federal partners to advocate for both the emergency dredging effort and long-term rehabilitation of the Little Wicomico Jetty and navigation channel.
⚓ Public support helped move this project forward — and it still matters today.
As summer begins, continued public engagement is critical. This project affects not only local watermen and property owners, but also tourism, emergency response, Chesapeake Bay navigation, marina businesses, charter operations, and the safety of everyone using this waterway.
If you support safe access to the Chesapeake Bay through the Little Wicomico River, please:
➡️ Sign the petition today: https://www.change.org/p/dredge-the-little-wicomico-river-jetty-virginia
· No donation is required to sign.
➡️ Share this email today
➡️ Ask your boating friends, marina neighbors, summer guests, and visiting family members to sign today
Please add your voice to the 1,459 supporters continuing to push for action.
Petition supporters automatically receive project updates, public advocacy opportunities, and notices about key public meetings through the Change.org platform.
⚓ Let’s Dredge — and Repair — the Little Wicomico Jetty!