WESTBAY— The Coast Guard has closed a 19-mile stretch of the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway because of land dikes breaking into the water between Choctawhatchee Bay and West Bay.
The Coast Guard Mobile Sector received a call at 3 a.m. Thursday from a towing vessel stating that a dike had given way between mile markers 254 and 273.
Coast Guard Station Panama City investigated and determined the channel was unsafe because of debris in the water. The waterway was closed from mile marker 254 to mile marker 273 in Bay and Walton counties.
“With the rain and everything, the land dikes give way and basically soil and mud was actually pushed into the channel, blocking part of the channel and reducing the depth of the channel,” Coast Guard Petty Officer Matthew Carlin said. “It’s very likely that larger vessels would be unable to make it through or around … and get stuck”
Carlin said the waterway will be closed for about two weeks while the Army Corps of Engineers removes the debris.
The Corps of Engineers is responsible for maintaining the waterway.
The waterway is a key transportation route for local industry. Vessels often use it to access Port Panama City on St. Andrew Bay.
Boaters can contact Coast Guard Sector Mobile by VHF-FM radio on channel 16 or at 251-441-6215 for navigation updates.