Dismal Swamp Canal Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway Restricted Reopening
Date Posted: October 29, 2017
Source: Lisa Suhay, WG News Editor

The historic Dismal Swamp Canal was closed last October, due to massive damage from Hurricane Matthew.  The Canal will finally  reopen on Tuesday.  Boaters should be aware of an abundance of Duckweed. Conditions appear to change daily.

Effective at 8:30 AM on October 31, 2017, the locks at Deep Creek, Virginia and South Mills, North Carolina will return to their normal operating schedule to accommodate vessels desiring to use the Dismal Swamp Canal (Route 2) of the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway, according to Keith B. Lockwood Chief, Operations Branch.

The locks will be operated at 8:30 AM, 11:00 AM, 1:30 PM, and 3:30 PM seven days per week. The drawbridges adjacent to these locations will operate as normal and in conjunction with the lock openings.  Vessels are allowed to moor overnight in the canal.  There will only be one operator at Deep Creek and one at South Mills, so the bridge will not be manned when the lock is being operated, and vice versa.  Locks and bridges monitor channel 13.

The latest surveys of AIWW-Deep Creek, AIWW-Dismal Swamp Canal, and AIWW-Turners Cut are available at: http://www.nao.usace.army.mil/HydroSurveys/.  Boaters are advised to review these surveys and of the following conditions:
a) AIWW-Deep Creek Channel north of the Deep Creek Lock currently has a controlling depth of 5.5 MLLW at centerline.
b) AIWW-Dismal Swamp Canal currently has a controlling depth of 6 feet at centerline and 50 feet wide except at The Big Entry Ditch (MM #13) and the Feeder Ditch (MM #22) where the width narrows to approximately 25 feet wide.  These shoaled areas have been marked with green and red stakes to show the channel.  Due to the narrow channel, only one vessel can pass in these two areas of the canal at a time.
c) AIWW-Turners Cut Channel just south of the South Mills Lock currently has a controlling depth of 5.9 feet at center line and 80 feet wide.  A remaining shoal south of Joyce Creek has been marked with green and red stakes to show the channel where the canal narrows to approximately 40 feet wide.  Due to the narrow channel, only one vessel can pass in this area of the Turners Cut at a time.
d) Duckweed is currently heavy in the Dismal Swamp Canal.  Boaters should clean their strainers as needed.  The Lake Drummond Reservation is still open to visitors using canoes and kayaks, the boat tram is still inoperative.
e) Norfolk District Corps of Engineers crane barge will continue working in the canal until the first week in November removing shoals along the toe of the canal.  Additional dredging is being scheduled for this winter in the Deep Creek Channel and early next spring in the Dismal Swamp Canal.
Those planning to use this route are advised to refer to the Coast Guard Local Notice to Mariners, contact the lock operator, or call the Norfolk District office at 757-201-7642.
 

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