Dismal Swamp & Dismal Swamp Canal, Chesapeake
VA Environmental Restoration and Flood Control
Authorization:
The U.S. House of Representatives Transportation and Infrastructure Committee authorized the Reconnaissance Study in a resolution adopted on May 22, 2002.
Location and Description:
- Approximately 100 miles southeast of Richmond.
- 2005 Population (approximately): 214,759 (City of Chesapeake).
- 2020 Forecast population: 435,000.
- Per Capita Income: $29,686 (2002).
The Dismal Swamp is maintained by fixed weirs across the drainage ditches to restrict the flow of water out of the swamp and inward to Lake Drummond, located in the middle of the Dismal Swamp. The water exiting Lake Drummond through a feeder ditch is used to maintain the level of water in the Dismal Swamp Canal, a portion of the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway. The remnants of Hurricanes Dennis & Floyd (September 1999) caused significant flooding in the City of Chesapeake and the surrounding area, as well as caused Lake Drummond to spill from its banks due to heavy rains. The public perceives that the Corps may have prevented or minimized the flooding by diverting the floodwaters from Lake Drummond through the navigation locks at Deep Creek, VA, and at South Mills, NC. An investigation of the urban flooding problems in Chesapeake, VA, and its relationship to Corps projects will determine if mitigation measures are feasible to minimize future flood damages, environmental restoration, and other water resource related problems in the vicinity of the Dismal Swamp. Feasibility Cost Sharing Agreements were signed in September 2004 and September 2005 and the feasibility studies have been initiated. The feasibility studies are funded for fiscal year 2007.
Updated: 21-Oct-2011