DCM Written Notice 2/22/2024

COASTAL PROTECTION ENGINEERING OF NORTH CAROLINA, INC
4038 MASONBORo Loop ROAD
WILMINGTON, NC28409
910-399-1905
February 22, 2024
Heather Coats
Beach & Inlet Management Project Coordinator
North Carolina Division of Coastal Management
127 Cardinal Drive
Wilmington, NC 28405
Subject: Hatteras Inlet Channel Maintenance Project — Written Notice of Project Initiation
Dear Ms. Coats:
The Division of Coastal Management (DCM) issued a CAMA Major Permit for the Hatteras Inlet Channel
Maintenance Project on December 22, 2016 (#129-16). This permit was subsequently renewed on January 22, 2020,
and modified on December 8, 2022, and has an expiration date of December 31, 2025. This letter serves as written
notice of project initiation as required in Condition 7 of the permit. Please find attached to this letter revised permit
drawings dated February 22, 2024, which provide the location of the proposed channel for the upcoming event.
The project includes maintenance dredging within a portion of the Hatteras Inlet Connector Channel, which runs
between the inlet gorge and the southern portion of Sloop Channel, in proximity to Ocracoke Island. This channel
is locally referred to as the "Hatteras Connector Channel". The attached plan view drawing shows the locations
along the Hatteras Connector Channel in which maintenance dredging is proposed for this event. Two (2) separate
channel segments were identified in which maintenance dredging is required, namely Eastern and Western
Connector Channels. The attached plans also include the disposal area, avoidance areas identified through cultural
resource surveys, submarine cables and a 100-foot buffer around the cables, and previously mapped submerged
aquatic vegetation (SAV) resources in the vicinity.
Please note the Connector Channel Corridor shown on the drawings incorporates the expanded dredge corridor
allowed for by the modification to CAMA Major Permit #129-16, dated December 8, 2022.
At present, the proposed maintenance event is anticipated to commence around March 1' and include
approximately 14 days of dredging in the Eastern and Western Connector Channel segments shown on the attached
drawings. The event is anticipated to be completed by March 31. The event is proposed to utilize the special use
Dredge Miss Katie, owned and operated by EJE Dredging Services. Material dredged from the channel by the Miss
Katie will be placed in the nearshore disposal location shown on the attached drawings.
As you are aware, the Major CAMA Permit (#129-16) allows for maintenance of a 200 ft. wide channel to a depth
of-12 ft. MLW. Based on the availability of funds, dredge availability, and conditional surveys conducted November
6, 2023, the proposed channel dimensions for this upcoming dredging event are to establish a 200-foot wide
channel at elevation -12 ft. MLW. Based on the conditional survey from November 6, 2023, a total of approximately

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ENGINEERING
COASTAL PROTECTION ENGINEERING OF NORTH CAROLINA, INC.
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60,000 cy of material could be excavated above the -12 ft. MLW permitted dredge depth from within the Eastern
Portion and the Western Portion of the channel. Due to budgetary constraints, however, it is expected that Miss
Katie will remove approximately 25,000 cy during the upcoming event. The proposed channel is shown in the
attached drawings, including both plan view and cross -sectional view.
The attached drawings show the location of SAV mapped by APNEP in 2019/2020 as a general reference as well as
SAV mapped by CPE on June 8, 2023. During the June 8, 2023 survey, the areas shown in the 2019/2020 APNEP
data as SAV more proximate to the proposed channel than the SAV identified in June 2023 was shown to be not
present. It is generally recognized that SAV beds are ephemeral and change with natural migration of sand shoals.
The closest SAV resources mapped in June 2023 are approximately 1,000 feet from the proposed channel as shown
in the attached drawings.
Regarding contact information during dredge activities, Jordan Hennessy will be the EJE Dredging point of contact
for the Miss Katie dredging operations. Jordan's phone number is [phone] and his email is
[e-mail]. I will be the County's agent and can be contacted via cell phone at [phone] or
via email at [e-mail].
Please feel free to contact me anytime for further clarification or explanation of the project
Sincere)
G %�v
Ken Willson
Senior Program Manager
Coastal Protection Engineering of North Carolina, Inc.
Office: 910-399-1905
Mobile: [phone]
[e-mail]
CC: Barton Grover, Dare County
Jonathan Howell, NC DCM
Robert Tankard, NC DWR
Brad Rosov, CPE