Complete dredging of the main channel

Friends, as you may recall, Whittaker Creek Channel was dredged in March 2020, thanks to generous contributions from the community, local businesses, and the town. But because of a delay in obtaining the permit, the job was not completed before the April 1 annual moratorium on dredging in Primary Nursing Areas. We’d like to finish the dredging and we need your help.

Please help us finish the job by sending a donation. For those boat or property owners who make use of Whittaker Creek, we would very much appreciate a donation of $100. Other residents who want to support Whittaker Creek, recognizing the jobs provided and the tourist revenue generated, may consider donating $50. Again, it will be very much appreciated. We hope we can again count on the marinas to provide $3,000 each, and other businesses that benefit from local tourism, $400.

Our goal is to raise at least $30,000 to add to the funds remaining from the first dredging. This will enable us to ask the state for matching grant funds. The other two-thirds of the funds needed can be requested through the NC Water Resources Development Grant Program. All local funds must be raised before application can be made for grant funds.

The Friends of Whittaker Creek surveyed the channel in January this year and found that most of the channel continues to maintain the mostly eight-foot depth it was dredged to in 2020. Dredging work to make the channel safer to navigate will focus on the narrower part of the channel near marker 3.

At the request of the Friends of Whittaker, the dredging permit was just extended to 2027 by the NC Division of Coastal Management, so next steps in the process can begin right away.

Oriental has a great reputation among boaters who transit the Intracoastal Waterway, bringing tourism revenue to the town. A safe, navigable waterway is critical to that reputation. Your donation will help Oriental remain a great place on the water for all to enjoy!