A $30 million buyout of North Topsail Beach’s most vulnerable properties would save over 30 years nearly twice what the town will spend trying to hold back the ocean, says a new university analysis that Mayor Dan Tuman calls “uninformed.”
Navassa Residents Grill Officials on Plans
Frustrated Navassa residents pressed government officials this week for answers on the long-in-the-works plan to restore the town’s creosote-contaminated Superfund site.
Summit Focuses on Climate Risks, Response
More than just the environment, climate change threatens the economy, labor market and infrastructure, according to speakers at Day 1 of the two-day Coastal Resilience Summit this week in Havelock.
Five Research Teams Seek Answers on PFAS
Scientists from seven North Carolina universities who make up the PFAST Network Research Initiative are working in teams to study per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances and their effects on human health and the environment.
Samples Suggest Unreported Coal Ash Spills
Contamination levels from coal ash in Lake Sutton’s sediment indicate a long-term process of unreported, unmonitored spills, according to findings of a Duke University study announced Monday.
Tool Shows Best Sites For Resilience Projects
A new online tool can help identify sites where natural resiliency projects, including living shorelines and wetlands restoration, can most benefit people, fish and wildlife.
Towns Eye Dune Systems for Stormwater
Kure Beach officials are awaiting results of a feasibility study of a proposed project to reduce stormwater discharge from ocean outfalls as Caswell Beach advances on a similar plan.
Study: New Normal Demands New Approach
A new report finds the effects of hurricanes and other weather disasters are getting worse, especially for the poorest, and that now is time for building community resilience.
EPA Denies Retaliation Against Scientist
The Environmental Protection Agency says there was no retaliation against a scientist at its Raleigh office for talking to state lawmakers as alleged in a Wilmington-based advocacy group’s social media posts.
Ports Authority Set to Appeal Permit Denial
The State Ports Authority will try to persuade the Coastal Resources Commission this week that a proposed expansion project’s economic benefits outweigh any environmental concerns.
State Permitting for Marsh Sills Simplified
N.C. officials this week approved a general permit for a type of shoreline erosion control called marsh sills, easing the application process and putting it on par with that for bulkheads.
EPA to OK For Use 100 Acres of Navassa Site
The Environmental Protection Agency says it will allow nearly half the Superfund site in Navassa, where wood was treated with creosote for decades, to be developed without restriction.
Lockwood Folly Off Limits For Shellfishing
With the latest Division of Marine Fisheries proclamation, nearly all shellfish waters in Lockwood Folly River in Brunswick County, an area popular for oystering and clamming, are closed indefinitely.
Analysis: Support For Terminal Groins Erodes
Eight years after state lawmakers repealed a longstanding ban on hardened shoreline erosion-control structures, only one has been built, as other beach towns weigh costs, consequences.
Planning Board OKs Sand Mine Permit
Despite residents’ objections, the New Hanover County Planning Board has approved a special use permit allowing a sand mine next to a site with toxic groundwater pollution.
Topsail Towns Prioritize Storm Projects
North Topsail Beach, Surf City and Topsail Beach are selecting storm mitigation projects to be funded with multi-million-dollar state grant from the state Division of Water Resources.
