Winter is wintering on the Chesapeake Bay this January, between two rounds of snowfall and consistently sub-freezing temperatures in many parts of the region.
Most who have stepped outside recently wouldn’t be surprised to learn that tributaries around the Bay are experiencing measurable ice coverage. The Coast Guard has issued an advisory for boats navigating through ice in the open Bay. The Captain of the Port for the Maryland-National Capital Region has set Winter Port Condition One for the Chesapeake Bay and C&D Canal, meaning that the short-term forecast is favorable for ice to form on these waterways.
The Coast Guard issued a safety broadcast Notice to Mariners Friday announcing several locations experiencing 40% ice coverage up to two inches thick, including the C&D Canal, Welch Point to Nine Foot Knoll, and Turkey Point.
Further south, Quantico to Alexandria, Virginia, and the D.C. Harbor and Anacostia River were experiencing 30% coverage of packed ice one inch thick. The Nanticoke and Wicomico rivers had 15 percent ice coverage one inch thick.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has not put any restrictions in place for the C&D Canal at this time, nor has the Captain of the Port set any specific restrictions. However, boaters are being warned to proceed with caution, especially because buoys may be dragged off station and some lights and daybeacons may have been destroyed by ice.
What would it take for restrictions to be put in place? Doug Bullock, Waterways Management Specialist at USCG Sector Maryland-NCR, tells Chesapeake Bay Magazine, “If ice formation gets closer to 100% and is affecting our Port Partners, ice breaking in the Federal Channel may be necessary. We would go to Ice Condition 2 and begin ice breaking operations. At that time, the Captain of the Port could put restrictions on the type of vessels that are allowed to operate in the Bay.”
The Maryland Department of Natural Resources(DNR) and the Coast Guard both have icebreaker boats at the ready. DNR’s John Gallagher tells us they have done some ice breaking in sheltered areas where the wind has piled the ice up. On Monday, he says, DNR sent a boat to break ice in Selby Bay, South River, and at the Bay Bridge Marina because boats were unable to push out.
“Water temperatures have been steadily dropping in the region,” Gallagher says. “If the predicted low temps happen next week there will be widespread ice in the creeks and shorelines of the rivers and Bay.”
He is most concerned about the Smith Island to Crisfield Ferry route, and the numerous small boat harbors supporting the oyster harvest. DNR’s two ice breaking boats ready for service are the Eddie Somers in Crisfield and the A.V. Sandusky at Kent Island.
Meanwhile, some emergency departments are making sure they’re prepared to make rescues in icy conditions on the water. At Hack Point Marina on the Bohemia River this weekend, the Hacks Point Fire Company suited up in their cold weather gear to practice ice rescue training.
For now, the Coast Guard remains prepared for the possibility of more ice to form. You can find a phone recording of the latest ice conditions by calling in to 410-576-2682.
The National Weather Service Baltimore-Washington is calling for “cold and blustery” conditions for the rest of the week. The Coast Guard asks mariners to report ice conditions to the Sector Maryland/NCR Command Center on VHF radio channel 16 or by calling 410- 576-2525.
