HAMPTON, Va. — A river restoration project on the Hampton River in Hampton is making progress and having an impact on more than just the river.
“We are installing a 1,078 linear-foot shoreline on the Hampton River," Chesapeake Bay Foundation Hampton Roads Restoration Coordinator Kati Grigsby said.
That shoreline is made up of special concrete blocks, called oyster castles, to start and as of June 26 also included 650 oyster shell bags. The bags mark a big milestone for the project.
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The Chesapeake Bay Foundation is spearheading the project. The goal is to provide an environment for oyster reefs, help reduce erosion of surrounding land, and ultimately help Hampton become more resilient to climate change.
“This project absolutely would not have been possible without our volunteers. We’ve had over 200 people that have come out," said Grigsby.
Some of those volunteers are people who live at the condo complex, which was devastated by a fire earlier this year.
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The Chesapeake Bay Foundation say the project has been a bright spot for the residents in the wake of the fire.
“We’ve had multiple people come up to me and ask questions and some of that kind of stuff. That really makes my heart happy," Grigsby explained.
The next phase of the project begins the week of July 7 with volunteers planting thousands of what are known as plugs to help jump start the restoration of the wetland in the area.
