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A member of the maintenance crew stacks rogue boards on a trailer during cleanup.
Colonial Beach and other coastal cities in the United States are used to dealing with flooding. In November, a coastal wave brought high and turbulent water to the community of Westmoreland County.
“There was a strong northeast wind that combined with the regular tidal cycles, creating a perfect tidal wave storm,†Colonial Beach Mayor Robin Schick said. “If it had been a hurricane we would have been tracking it from the Caribbean, but in this case it was just the perfect weather situation coming together.”
Water levels dropped and the skies were clear as a crew from Naval Surface Warfare Center‘s Dahlgren Division got down to work cleaning up debris around Gun Station Seven. the Potomac River and the NSWCDD-owned station are one of four that lie within the city limits of Colonial Beach, according to Schick.
The PRTR team first searched the debris and pulled all the plank lumber before setting off again in search of driftwood and smaller debris.
“A lot of large planks are lacking dock pieces,†Schick explained. “Especially with the price of lumber these days, we would like to reuse these parts. The real risk of debris remaining here is that another tide will rise and drag it into the river where it then becomes a hazard to boating. We have a lot of commerce along the river including barge transportation, fishing and boating. When we have large debris in the water, it is very dangerous to hit it. “
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