Surf City awarded $250,000 grant for stormwater work

Surf City was recently awarded a grant that will pay for a portion of the town’s project to move floodwaters off the road and into the ground.

The $250,000 Golden LEAF Foundation grant the town was awarded earlier this month will pay to implement recommendations from the town’s South Shore stormwater feasibility study.

Stormwater issues have plagued the Topsail Island town for years along a portion of South Shore Drive, where insufficient stormwater infrastructure exacerbates flooding that blocks vehicles from safely passing the roadway.

South Shore Drive is also N.C. 50, which is the main thoroughfare that runs through the island’s center from Surf City into neighboring Topsail Beach.

The town’s stormwater project includes creating an infiltration chamber system to collect rainwater and release it back into the ground.

“This is a nature-based solution the Town can implement to increase its resilience to large rain events,” Surf City Town Manager Kyle Breuer said in a statement. “In addition, this is a major thoroughfare that provides the only way in and out for our residents on this portion of the island, as well as residents of Topsail Beach. A major factor in working to seek funding for this project is to assist our emergency services.”

The N.C. Department of Transportation has been working with the town to assess the area and helped fund and develop the feasibility study, according to a press release.