Mill Creek ramp solution elusive

Officials continue quest for way to stop re-silting at popular boat launch site

by Larry Chowning –

Mother Nature’s winds, tides, storms and sand continue to stall efforts to stop constant silting of sand in front of Mill Creek boat ramp and pier at Wake.

Middlesex supervisors voted Tuesday, Sept. 13, to try yet another time to figure out how to beat Mother Nature. The board voted 4-1 to have the Middle Peninsula Regional Planning District Commission (MPPDC) oversee the planning and completion of the project that will be partly funded through a Virginia Community Flood Preparedness Fund grant. There will be $58,851 available through the grant to go towards the project.

Longtime advocate and supporter of the Mill Creek ramp project Hartfield representative John Koontz voted against having MPPDC oversee the project. “I did not vote yes because it was obvious to me that we had support for the project I’ve been working on and we had capable hands shepherding it forward in the MPPDC.

Supervisors Chairman Lud Kimbrough said the MPPDC should be hired to oversee the matter because the primary reasons the county hired an engineer was to oversee a sewage treatment project, for development of a public beach in the county, etc. The new engineer, Charlie Beam, has also recently been involved in the engineering process for a new sheriff’s office.

“We need to keep our eyes on the prize and keep doing with what we are doing,” said Kimbrough in regards to the engineer not taking on more work.

History of silting at the ramp

The ramp has been maintained by the Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources (DWR) for many years. DWR officials have told county officials in so many words that the ramp is a losing cause when it comes to successfully stopping the silting in front of the boat ramp.

DWR officials have, however, encouraged further engineering, but have not come forward with funds. Koontz said at the Sept. 13 supervisors meeting that this is in part because the site does not serve that many people and there is limited parking spaces for cars, trucks and boat trailers. “They have much larger sites throughout the state that serve many more people,” he said.

In May 2020, the ramp was reopened after a two-year shutdown because Koontz and supervisors spearheaded a successful drive to have local contractors remove sand in front of the boat ramp. Mother Nature, however, continues to move the sand back in front of the ramp.