Virginia Law

A. Sufficient borings must be made and analyzed to develop a clear picture of the vertical and horizontal limit of sand deposits in the dredging area. Such borings are the responsibility of the dredging applicant.

B. Shoreline investigations at the nourishment site shall determine the characteristics of the native material, the location of utilities, structures, outfall pipes, property lines along shore transport, and other basic engineering considerations.

C. Engineering information must be analyzed to determine acceptable grain size range of fill material, design berm height, width and length, probable fate of the material, expected loss rates and the resulting maintenance requirements.

D. Legal easements and public rights-of-way must be obtained from property owners which preserve public use and state ownership of all state-owned submerged land existing channelward of mean low water shoreline prior to the placement of any material. These legal documents are the responsibility of the dredging applicant or property owners, or both.

E. The project should be engineered in a manner which results in the least environmental impact while providing an efficient and cost effective construction plan. Consideration will be given, but not limited to, the project's potential impacts on existing natural resources and habitats. These include, inter alia, existing finfish, shellfish, turtle and avian species and their critical time periods for spawning, nesting and nursery functions in areas of submerged aquatic vegetation, wetlands and submerged or intertidal and beach habitat.