The recent purchase by the state of 35 acres in Sunset Beach to be added to the Bird Island Coastal Reserve ends years of fighting to keep the property undeveloped.
State Conditions Sunset Beach Dredge Permit
The N.C. Division of Coastal Management has issued a permit to Sunset Beach to dredge south Jinks Creek but with conditions, including limiting excavation to less than half of the requested depth.
Navassa Residents Take Issue With EPA’s Plan
Navassa residents are asking why the EPA’s development proposal for part of the former Kerr-McGee site determined to be of no risk to humans or the environment excludes residential use.
Ports: Florida Biologist Had No Role in Study
Bald Head Island’s attorneys are questioning whether a Corps of Engineers biologist who pleaded guilty to lying about her part-time work for a consulting firm also worked on an N.C. ports study.
Lack of Public Input at Issue With Port Study
An attorney for Bald Head Island says the public was kept out of the ports authority’s review for its planned harbor-deepening project as port officials vow transparency.
NAACP: Port Study Ignores Heritage Corridor
The Brunswick County branch of the NAACP says the study for the State Ports Authority’s plans for widening and deepening the Wilmington harbor fails to acknowledge its potential effects on the Gullah Geechee Cultural Heritage Corridor and environmental justice communities.
Federal Review Finds Port Study Deficient
A plan to widen and deepen Wilmington’s port channel is the first to go through a new, expedited environmental review process, but federal officials say the ports authority’s study falls short.
State Drafts Plan to Study Dredge Spoils Sites
With new Corps of Engineers restrictions on the use of federal dredged materials disposal sites, N.C. officials have drafted a plan to identify other locations and study the state’s needs.
UNCW Series Examines Climate Challenges
A seminar Tuesday on managing and adapting as sea levels rise, along with other effects of climate change, kicked off UNCW’s monthly, collaborative series on coastal resiliency.
Heavy Equipment at Issue in Dune Planting
Federal and state agencies are working to resolve questions about how dune planting after beach renourishment projects can be done without harming endangered species.
Public Can Weigh in on Inlet Hazard Updates
The state Division of Coastal Management will hold several public hearings on proposed updated inlet hazard area boundaries and building rules, following hearings on the updated erosion rates used to determine the proposed IHAs
Corps Expands Jinks Creek Plan Review
The Army Corps of Engineers is doing a more comprehensive review of a proposed project to dredge parts of Jinks Creek in Sunset Beach, triggering a 30-day public comment period.
Topsail Island’s Southern Tip Back on Market
A 110-acre, oceanfront tract at New Topsail Inlet that’s in a federal Coastal Barriers Resource Act zone has again been listed for sale, prompting new worries about development.
Coastal Power Plant Up For Permit Renewal
A small power plant in Brunswick County is up for renewal of its five-year permit to discharge pollutants into waters just off Caswell Beach.
Law Shifts Recovery Funds to Topsail Towns
Gov. Roy Cooper has signed into law a bill that transfers $5 million marked last year for a Winston-Salem nonprofit to Topsail Island towns for hurricane recovery projects.
Vibrio Survivor, Wife Warn of Bacteria’s Risks
Richard Flaherty of Oriental was just helping a neighbor last year after Hurricane Florence hit the area, but hours later he nearly died after exposure to bacteria in the standing water.
