Surf City’s long-awaited 50-year beach nourishment project is moving forward with federal funding, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Wilmington District announced Tuesday.
The district has been given the green light to use previously appropriated Disaster Relief Act of 2019 construction funds for the project, which entails placing about 6.5 million cubic yards of sand along the town’s roughly six-mile shoreline. The project also calls for building a new dune and an estimated 50-foot-wide beach berm.
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“This approval represents an important milestone for the Surf City Coastal Storm Risk Management Project and allows us to begin the final steps necessary before construction can begin,” Wilmington District Commander Col. Brad Morgan stated in a release. “We appreciate the continued partnership with the Town of Surf City as we work together to deliver a project that will provide long-term coastal storm risk reduction for the Surf City community.”
The approved funding allows the Corps to execute a project partnership agreement with Surf City, complete final engineering and design activities, and begin preparations for construction of the federally authorized coastal storm risk management project.
“Today’s announcement marks a major milestone for Surf City and the future of our coastline,” Surf City Mayor Teresa Batts stated in a release. “The approval to move this project forward reflects years of hard work, collaboration, and a shared commitment among the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and our federal, state, county, and local partners. We’re grateful to everyone who helped bring us to this point, and we look forward to beginning the construction phase. This project will help protect our shoreline, preserve our beaches, strengthen our community, and ensure Surf City remains a place that residents and visitors can enjoy for generations to come.”
More than 20 years has passed since Surf City and North Topsail Beach initiated a feasibility study to evaluate long-term beach restorations efforts. North Topsail Beach in 2021 withdrew from the project, which required additional federal review and approvals.
In 2024, Rep. David Rouzer, R-N.C., secured language in the Water Resources Development Act, or WRDA, 2024 directing the Corps to expedite a report for Surf City’s coastal storm risk management project.
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The Corps finalized that report in July 2025.
“The Town of Surf City, after years of work, now has the federal approval and funding it needs to strengthen its coastal resilience and better safeguard the community’s homes, businesses and infrastructure from future storms for decades to come,” Rep. David Rouzer, R-N.C., stated Tuesday in a release. “I am proud to have been a part of this effort, and I thank all who have been involved for their great work to make this a reality, including the critical work of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Trump Administration.”
Under the recently released WRDA 2026, the North Topsail Beach portion of the project is deauthorized and Surf City’s project will receive $362.3 million in federal funding for future beach renourishment.
