SD18 - A Study of the Dredging of Rudee Inlet


Executive Summary:
Senate Joint Resolution 187 tasked the Senate Finance and House Appropriations Committees to study the dredging of Rudee Inlet in the City of Virginia Beach. The General Assembly requested the study to include the methods other states use to fund dredging and to examine the potential funding options for the continued dredging of Rudee Inlet.

Rudee Inlet is located at the south end of the Virginia Beach Resort Area Oceanfront. The inlet serves as a major tourist attraction for deep-water fishing and other water sports. It also serves as a valuable ocean outlet for several miles of waterfront property, U.S. Navy military training, and for the Virginia Marine Science Museum.

Existing use of the inlet is estimated in excess of 148,000 round trips annually and consists primarily of recreational trips (charter boats, recreational fishing, dive boats, parasail, etc.). Currently, 23 commercial fishing boats operate out of Rudee Inlet, representing about 10 percent of trip activity. The total trips represents an annual increase of about 9 percent from the 44,000 round trips estimated in 1983. A recent study by the Army Corps of Engineers estimated that the annual direct benefits of the inlet to these users to be about $3.2 million.