Integrated Modeling and Sedimentation Management: the Case of Salt Ponds Inlet and Harbor in Virginia

Salt Ponds Inlet is a small inlet that was dredged by the City of Hampton in 1979 to connect the Salt Ponds small-craft harbor to lower Chesapeake Bay. Despite the presence of two jetties at its entrance, the inlet has experienced continuous and rapid sedimentation since 1979, requiring the City to dredge the inlet at a frequency of every two to three years. This paper presents the results of computational modeling of the inlet processes and discusses possible options for minimizing sedimentation as part of efforts to address shoaling problems in Salt Ponds Inlet. The problem is addressed by applying an integrated numerical model with parameters calibrated to reported currents, tidal prism and sensitivity tests. Simulations suggest that, for the existing jetty configuration, inlet entrance wave power is overwhelmingly higher than tidal power, indicating inadequacy of tidal power for redistribution and flushing-out of wave-mobilized sediments. Simulations of 13 scenarios, examining 11 potential alternatives, suggest that modification of the existing jetties combined with an offshore breakwater is the best option to minimize inlet shoaling.