A shore protection project at Naval Air Station Oceana at Dam Neck annex is expected to begin within the next month, according to the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM).
Sand from the U.S. Outer Continental Shelf (OCS), to be used for this project, will enhance coastal resilience by protecting shoreline infrastructure and restore shorebird and sea turtle nesting habitat, improving the recreational beach in this Virginia Beach community.
Dredging by Navy contractor Great Lakes Dredge & Dock Company (GLDD) will take place from the Sandbridge Shoal about three miles offshore to stabilize and restore the Dam Neck Annex oceanfront and dune system.
The entire project area is about two miles long. Within that area, the sand dune runs about one mile, is 20 feet high and 50 feet wide. As the federal agency authorized to lease sand from the OCS, BOEM executed an agreement with the Navy for use of up to 700,000 cubic yards of OCS sand for the project.
This is the third reconstruction cycle for Dam Neck. Initial construction of the beach occurred in 1996, and maintenance construction occurred during 2004.
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