Barnegat Inlet to Net $2M More in Channel Maintenance Funds
Federal funding for the maintenance of Barnegat Bay was added to the 2008 federal budget this week, Congressman Jim Saxton (NJ-03) announced today.
The 2008 Energy and Water legislation was approved by the House Appropriations Committee Wednesday. The bill, H.R. 2641, is expected to be brought to the House floor early next week.
The President's budget originally included $54,000 for maintenance dredging of the Inlet, and Saxton asked Energy-Water Appropriations Subcommittee Chairman Peter J. Visclosky, D-Ind., and Ranking Member David Hobson to add more funds for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers project. Barnegat Bay is now slated to receive $2,054,000.
"This is a sizable increase to what we had been faced with," Saxton said. "Barnegat Inlet can be a dangerous passage, and adequate channels are imperative for fishermen and boat operators to safely navigate."
The inlet has an authorized depth of 10 feet and is dredged several times a year due to severe shoaling. The commercial fishing fleet operates out of three marinas and consists of more than 35 vessels. There are also 15 commercial charter fishing vessels and six head boats. Barnegat is ranked 31st in the nation in commercial fishery landings by value of catch.
The dangerous nature of the inlet's current and rapid shoaling requires the authorized depth to provide safe conditions. Without sufficient dredging, there is a high probability of grounding incidents to the many fishermen who depend on safe depths of channels.