Category:Channels
The Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway (ICW) runs from Florida to Maine providing a protected waterway for commercial and recreational vessels. Some lengths consist of natural inlets, salt-water rivers, bays, and sounds; others are man-made canals. It is an essential part of navigation along the coast of North Carolina. The waterway is maintained by the Corp of Engineers and is dredged to maintain a depth of 12 feet. The channel is marked by navigational markers and buoys all along the route.
In our area, the ICW channel runs closer to the mainland than to the island but is connected to other channels behind the island in several places. However besides the ICW, the only channels with Coast Guard maintained navigational aides is Banks_Channel behind the southern third of the island and the channels for the two inlets, New_Topsail_Inlet and New_River_Inlet.
