SURF CITY – If plans go accordingly, this town’s 6-mile-long stretch of ocean shoreline will undergo a major transformation by the end of the decade.
Portions of the beach are expected to be about 50 feet wider than they are today. A newly constructed berm and dune system designed to take the brunt of the ocean’s force during coastal storms and protect the hundreds of homes and businesses landward of the beach will rise from the sandscape.
Supporter Spotlight
The federal coastal storm risk management project that the town has been pushing to secure for more than two decades will initially inject about 6.5 million cubic yards of sand onto the ocean beach.
Surf City Mayor Teresa Batts, a lifelong resident, was so over the moon about the announcement earlier this summer that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers had been permitted to use previously appropriated federal funds to build the project she wrote (admittedly with the help of artificial intelligence) a song about it.
Batts struck up the tune, “sand money, honey,” Monday morning at the close of a signing ceremony in which the town and the Corps officially sealed their historic partnership.
Dozens of people, including current and former congressional leaders, local elected officials and representatives with the Corps of Engineers Wilmington District, gathered for the ceremony that was hosted on the beach next to the Surf City Ocean Pier.
“Before we sign this agreement, I want to take a moment to share, because this day didn’t happen quickly. This day did not happen by accident,” Batts said. “We faced a lot of delays, as many long-term federal projects do. But Surf City remained committed, Surf City remained resilient. I want to be clear that this is not just a town project. It’s not just a Corps project. It’s a project today because of dedication. It’s a project today because of hard work.”
Supporter Spotlight
The project’s origins go back to 2000, when Congress authorized a feasibility study to evaluate a long-term beach restoration project for Surf City and neighboring North Topsail Beach.
Citing money concerns, North Topsail Beach in July 2021 withdrew from the project, a move that initiated additional federal review and approvals.
About three years later, Rep. David Rouzer, R-N.C., secured language in the Water Resources Development Act 2024 directing the Corps to expedite a report specific to Surf City’s coastal storm risk management project.
This past June, the Wilmington District was given the green light to use previously appropriated Disaster Relief Act of 2019 fund for more than $292 million to build the project.
“From this point forward with the signing of this agreement, it opens the door for construction of the actual project,” Rouzer said Monday. “As anything that is noteworthy, as anything that is worthy, sometimes you have a few hurdles to clear. Sometimes you have a few obstacles you didn’t expect that you’ve got to work through. And so today really marks a great achievement for everyone that has been involved in this project.”
Wilmington District Commander Lt. Col. Kenneth Porter said the signing ceremony, “marks the beginning of the next chapter, turning this project from paper into sand, dunes, and real protection for the people who call Surf City home.”
“Surf City sits on a barrier island, and it’s exposed to the full force of the Atlantic,” he continued. “This community has felt that firsthand. Hurricane Florence (in 2018) alone caused significant damage to the beach structures and infrastructure along this stretch of coastline. Storms like that aren’t a question of if; they’re a question of when. And every year without a coastal storm risk management project in place is another year of unnecessary risk to homes, businesses, and the people who live and work here. That’s what changes today.”
Monitoring the shoreline and continued beach nourishment over the project’s 50-year life will provide a strong defense for generations to come, Porter said.
“This project is projected to prevent significant storm damage every single year, but the true measure of success won’t be found in a budget spreadsheet,” he said. “It’ll be measured in the homes that stay standing, the local businesses that keep their doors open, and the families who don’t have to rebuild their lives after the next storm.”
Corps officials said after the ceremony Monday that they anticipate opening bids for initial construction of the project in the fall of 2027, with work beginning in early 2028.
Construction is expected to take about 16 months and wrap around the spring of 2029.
