The N.C. Coastal Resources Commission yesterday gave North Topsail Beach the green light to build a massive sandbag wall to protect beachfront houses.
County May Help Pay the Mason Inlet Tab
Thanks to a new state law, New Hanover County may begin to consistently funnel money to help maintain relocated Mason Inlet.
Saltwater Moves Into Drinking Water Aquifers
Saltwater has migrated inland into freshwater aquifers that supply hundreds of private and public wells in the New Hanover County area, according to a new federal report.
CRC Won’t Fill Science Panel Vacancies Yet
Uncertain of what an updated sea-level rise report would accomplish, two members of the N.C. Coastal Resource Commission’s Science Panel resigned this year. The chairman won’t fill any positions until the release of that report in 2015.
Coastal Energy Summit Draws Skepticism
Later week in Wilmington, the governor and industry pros will discuss North Carolina’s coastal energy initiatives. Some film-industry backers are wary of what will take center stage at the summit, including the city’s mayor.
Can the Cape Fear Take More Mercury?
A researcher says the lower Cape Fear River, already impaired by mercury, can’t safely absorb the additional amount that will be discharged by a proposed cement plant.
What Will a Groin Do to Rare Birds at Rich Inlet?
That’s the million-dollar question. Though the federal review of the possible environmental effects of the proposed terminal groin on Figure Eight Island is nearing completion, federal agencies charged with protecting birds haven’t yet started assessing what the groin might do to troubled bird species.
Cape Fear Request Draws Fire
A request to reclassify a portion of the lower Cape Fear River as swamp is drawing sharp criticism from some members of the organization asking for the change because it would lower a key water-quality standard.
Coastal Primer: ‘Critical Habitat’
The federal Endangered Species Act requires the protection of habitat that listed species need to recover. But the creation of so-called “critical habitat” almost always leads to conflicts and usually lawsuits.
Neighborhood Gets a Runoff Refit
Some driveways have been repaved and other steps will be taken to reduce polluted runoff in Raintree, an existing housing subdivision in Wilmington.
Bald Head Seeks Permit for Terminal Groin
Bald Head Island could become the first N.C. community to build a terminal groin since lawmakers reversed the ban on such structures. First, they must clear a number of hurdles.
Marina to CRC: Help Our Boats Get Wet
Boats launching from a Wilmington marina can only access the Cape Fear River at high tide. Marina owners turn to the Coastal Resources Commission today in hopes of a solution.
County to Birds: You’re on Your Own
New Hanover County wants to be relieved of monitoring shorebirds at relocated Mason Inlet after a third of the way through a 30-year commitment.
Groups: Figure Eight Groin for the Birds
Figuratively speaking, that is. The feathered kind, like the little piping plover, will likely suffer if Figure Eight Island builds its proposed terminal groin at Rich Inlet, environmentalists say.
Sunset Beach Plan May Not Stop Project
The town’s land-use plan may not stop a proposed project to build 23 oceanfront houses on land that was once an inlet.
Isolated Wetlands: A Primer
What’s so “isolated” about them and why do some legislators want to remove state protections?
