Coast Guard announces results from WAMS survey for Government Cut jetties

united states coast guard 

News Release  

June 29, 2017
U.S. Coast Guard 7th District Southeast
Contact: 7th District Public Affairs
Office: (305) 415-6683
After Hours: (786) 367-7649

Coast Guard announces results from WAMS survey for Government Cut jetties

MIAMI — The Coast Guard has completed the Waterways Analysis and Management System survey of the Miami Main Channel and jetties in the vicinity of Government Cut.

The Captain of the Port of Miami has determined the existing aids that mark safe navigation through the channel, which include color coded lighted buoys and lighted range markers, to be sufficient. This determination was endorsed the Coast Guard's Seventh District commander. 

The survey was open to the public from Oct. 20 to Nov. 20, 2016 and 87 responses were submitted. The Captain of the Port took into consideration this public input, statistics from the past 20 years on accidents involving the jetties, as well as existing navigation aids which mark the channel. It was determined that installing aids on the jetties would not improve safe navigation and furthermore could possibly create confusion between the existing aids and thus impair safe navigation. 

"The Coast Guard takes its Aids to Navigation mission very seriously and strives to provide the most effective and safest navigable waterways to the public and commercial mariner communities," said Capt. Megan Dean, commander, Coast Guard Sector Miami. "We cannot stress enough to all waterway users to adhere to existing channel aids and use all available means to navigate safely on the water."

The Coast Guard is responsible for marking all Federally maintained channels. In order to assess the waterway, and the need for aids, the Coast Guard conducts periodic Waterways Analysis and Management System surveys. Should any boater notice an aid is off station or one whose light is extinguished, they should notify the Coast Guard on VHF-FM Channel 16.

A summary of the WAMS findings can be found in the attached document.

For breaking news, follow us on Twitter @USCGSoutheast.

-USCG-