By Julia Robins, Staff Writer
Aberdeen Creek is an important harbor for commercial fishing operations along the York River. In the past, the Army Corps of Engineers paid to dredge the creek, but because of budget cuts in the federal government, it can no longer afford to do so.
While a Federal navigation channel was established in 1962, the channel hasn’t been dredged since 1974, making it difficult for commercial fishermen to use. Dredging keeps waterways open for boat traffic by removing bottom sediments from shallow waters.
“This is a problem that, by virtue of these budge cuts, a lot of coastal communities are going to have to figure out,” says Thomas Wysong, a 2014 Coastal Resource Policy Fellow with Virginia Sea Grant. “Hopefully my research will lead into showing if Tax Increment Funding is a feasible way of paying for it.”
The completion of a public or private project, like developing a new library or park, often increases the value of surrounding real estate, which generates additional tax revenue. Tax Increment Financing (TIF) uses these gains to financially support projects that benefit the community.
Dredging Aberdeen Creek maintains the value of waterfront properties by keeping the waterway accessible for property owners, many of whom have private docks along the creek.
Wysong says this is why dredging is so important: “If you want to have commercial fishermen and recreational boaters using Aberdeen Creek and its working waterfront, you need to dredge the channel. Otherwise there’s shoaling, where sediment builds up and it becomes too shallow for boats to get through.”
If shoaling continues, people won’t be able to access the private docks and public boat landing along the creek.
The goal of Wysong’s research is to find a way to dredge Aberdeen Creek with a policy that doesn’t raise taxes, doesn’t divert current funds, and distributes revenue fairly. That’s quite a challenge for a project that the Army Corps of Engineers has estimated to cost somewhere between $600,000 and $750,000.
Since this is a relatively new problem, there are no real examples of communities using a TIF district to pay for dredging a creek. Adds Wysong. “I’m looking forward to seeing how it could work.”
