Milton Harbor Buoys Will Be Removed: Coast Guard

RYE, NY — Efforts to convince the U.S. Coast Guard to reconsider plans to remove navigational buoys in Milton Harbor appear to have failed.

The USCG said that nine buoys in the harbor will be removed until the channel is dredged. The buoys guiding boaters will be replaced with a single "hazard buoy" at the mouth of the channel leading to the harbor. The new navigational aid will simply warn vessels, "DANGER EXTREME SHOALING AHEAD."

The Coast Guard says that it can no longer safely maintain navigational markers in Milton Harbor because of silt build-up in the channel, but Rye officials had asked boaters to urge the service to reconsider that decision.

SEE ALSO: Rye City Hall Wants Your Help Saving Milton Harbor Buoys

On January 22, the Rye officials were given notice from the Coast Guard that the channel markers in Milton Harbor it maintains would be removed.

"In recent weeks, the city has been actively speaking with our elected officials, Coast Guard representatives and State officials regarding this urgent matter," the city said in a statement released on Feb. 9. "As a waterfront community, our Channel and Harbor are used for recreational activities by thousands annually. Further, it is a critical aspect of our community's character. As the City looks to secure permits and funding to dredge, we need community support to maintain the Coast Guard Channel markings."

In 1984, the Coast Guard proposed a similar measure, but the plans were withdrawn following objections from elected officials and an outcry from the public. It appears, however, that political pressure failed to dissuade officials this time around.