The Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway Association (AIWA) and the Boat Owners Association of the United States (BoatUS) have joined a broad coalition of groups including coastal shipping operators, dredging contractors, local governments, and recreational boating groups to advocate on behalf of the Atlantic Intercoastal Waterway, an important Department of Transportation (DOT) designated marine highway that runs from Norfolk, Virginia to Miami, Florida.
The coalition recently went to the US House of Representatives on Capitol Hill to push to establish an individual allocation for dredging maintenance and for addressing navigational needs.
The intracoastal waterway's authorised depth is 3.65 metres but shoaling from storms and hurricanes has left some portions with as little as 1.5 metres of water.
AIWA chairman David Kennedy said that current estimates of the waterway's unmet maintenance needs are about US$75 million though the association has managed to secure partial funding.
Part of any new funding would be targeted for additional dredging needs on the waterway's small, remote, or subsistence navigation harbours.
