CHINCOTEAGUE, Va.- Watermen are voicing their concern over the erosion of the southern end of the island, threatening Curtis Merritt Harbor.
Harbor Master Vernon Merritt says he’s watched the erosion over the decades.
“The ocean is pretty powerful and with the tides, the tide runs in here harder than it ever has. It’s the beating the south end takes that eventually gonna put a hurting on it,” said Merritt.
Charter boat Captain John Leonard says he is also worried about the erosion of the island.
“We’re seeing more land erode away from the southern end of Chincoteague now and that’s causing concern because you have all the infrastructure that goes with it. We have the harbor here,” said Leonard.
“It’s a multimillion dollar business down here with the fishing and the sightseeing that kind of stuff. If we lose all of that, that would be a big economic hit to the island,” said Leonard.
No to mention that the harbor is a lifeline for boaters in distress.
“The harbor here is a registered harbor of refuge so if this goes away, there’s nowhere for boaters to seek safety from storms for another hundred miles,” said Leonard. “Whether or not we would ever get to that point is uncertain but anything we could do would be beneficial.”
Leonard hopes the issue is something the state or the Army Corp of Engineers can resolve.
“I think if we had the opportunity to add onto the sand bars and have them to the sand bars, don’t wash away that would curtail some of that energy we’re getting from the ocean,” said Leonard.