Clogs continue at Mill Creek boat ramp

Wind, tide and storms encourage the sand to fill the ramp back in as public officials and neighbors continue to speculate on the best way to approach Mother Nature concerning this issue.

Two months ago, the Sentinel received a call from a neighbor who wanted his opinion to be a part of the mix. The reporter was asked to join this person at the site where an hour or so was spent learning the history of the ramp.

Mill Creek boat ramp is maintained by Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources (DWR). It has been one of the most utilized boat ramps in the county. For the most part, however, DWR staff has thrown up their hands as to how to fight the battle of silting sand and is more than willing to give the ramp to Middlesex County to take on the fight.

Anecdotal information

One neighbor indicates that the reason for the shifting sand up against the ramp has nothing to do with the area where the ramp is located but has more to do with private owned beach shoreline to the east of the ramp.

The riprap further down the beach has failed and neighbors contend the county needs to enter into a partnership with private beachfront landowners to rebuild riprap or they will never solve the problem. The neighbor speaking does not own any beachfront property near the ramp.

Current efforts

The Middlesex County Board of Supervisors has entered into a partnership with the Middle Peninsula Planning District Commission (MPPDC) to come up with an engineering plan to fix the problem.

MPPDC Executive Director Lewis Lawrence sent an email to Supervisor Koontz on Jan. 24 explaining the progress. “We received multiple responses (from engineers).  The next step will be to assemble a team of reviewers…”