Starlings Creek, Accomack County - VA Navigation (Jetty) Study Continuing Authorities Program
Contact:James R. Creighton, P.G. (757) 201-7224
Authorization:
Section 107 of the River and Harbor Act of 1960 (Public Law 86-645), as amended.
Location and Description:
- Approximately 95 miles east of Richmond.
- 2000 Census population (approximately): 350 (Town of Saxis).
- 2020 Forecast population: 330.
- Per Capita Income: $13,404.
The study area is located on the Chesapeake Bay side of the Eastern Shore in the northwest portion of Accomack County, adjacent to the Town of Saxis. The existing Federal navigation project provides for a channel 7 feet deep at mean low water and 60 feet wide from that depth in Pocomoke Sound to the mouth of Starlings Creek; a turning basin of the same depth, 100 feet wide and 1,100 feet long inside the entrance; and a channel 60 feet wide connecting the turning basin with a harbor of refuge, 7 feet deep at mean low water, 200 feet wide and 500 feet long. The authorized project dimensions are adequate for existing and future use; however, erosion of the southwest shoreline is widening the mouth of Starlings Creek exposing the navigation facilities to direct wave attack from southwest winds. These winds can be intense at times, generating large swells that cause significant damage to shore facilities and moored vessels and create difficult and unsafe conditions during the off-loading of catch. A project would provide a stone revetment and spur jetty at the mouth of the creek to control the shoreline erosion and to protect the boat harbor and navigation facilities from wind-induced swells.
Updated: 03-Jan-2011