HOOPERS ISLAND, Md. - For years, locals have said the Fishing Creek channel has needed a good dredge.
Stuck boaters have paid tens of thousands of dollars to be freed or in damages. Or for the Hoopers Island Fire Company, taking the extra 40 minutes around the island is precious time.
Fire Chief and waterman, Rick Yinger says, "I really hate to run our fireboat through there for emergency calls because there's no water. If you're not one of the people that go through there on a regular basis it only takes a second to damage everything."
Yinger says getting stranded is not a practical option.
"I work on the water everyday of the week. We have a serious problem with what they call the gap. It's the channel going out to the bay. Its basically no water there. So I wont come in and out of there with my work boat," says Yinger.
Across the water, the Army Corps Of Engineers is doing a separate project on the Barren Islands.
Councilman Lenny Pfeffer says the council is working towards 'essentially' killing two birds with one stone.
Pfeffer says, "We said this is the perfect opportunity for you to go ahead and dredge out the channel for us. We could actually take some of the fill that they pull out of the channel and put it into the Barren Island projects."
Pfeffer says the dredge would create a pathway for the boaters, saving them time and money.
Tomorrow the council is expected to vote to send a letter of support to the
Army Corps Of Engineers. Although, they say it might be a years time before any movement happens.