The federal final environmental impact statement for the proposed channel deepening and widening at the N.C. Port of Wilmington is nearing the final approval stage, but Cape Fear area residents and advocates say their objections and questions about potential effects remain unanswered.
wetlands
EMC committee to vote on Mitigation Services rule edits
The North Carolina Environmental Management Commission’s water quality committee is to hold a special virtual meeting at 2 p.m. Tuesday to consider proposed amendments intended to clarify rules for Division of Mitigation Services programs.
Wetland mitigation bank proposed for Cape Fear River Basin
The proposed Northeast Cape Fear Umbrella Mitigation Bank – Quinn Farm Site in Duplin County would be used to offset unavoidable environmental damage to natural wetlands associated with federally authorized projects.
Residents urge mining firm to find other expansion options
New Hanover County residents and environmentalists spoke out Tuesday against Martin Marietta’s planned Castle Hayne quarry mine expansion, urging other alternatives that would lessen threats to water quality, wetlands and aquifer levels.
Boardwalk removal start of Jacksonville park improvements
The removal of the storm-battered waterfront boardwalk at Jacksonville’s Northeast Creek Park is the first step in an improvement and expansion project at the site.
Nice alligator; see you later
An American alligator sunning at North River Wetlands Preserve in Carteret County slides in for a dip recently as March temperatures rose. The 6,000-acre preserve is the North Carolina Coastal Federation’s project to return farmland back to its original state and to use the wetlands to naturally treat polluted runoff. The Coastal Federation publishes Coastal Review. Photo: Doug Waters
Land trust to buy 60-acre, New Hanover County-owned tract
The North Carolina Coastal Land Trust is launching a public and private campaign to raise $3 million to buy and preserve about 60 acres in Wilmington.
Amid record growth, groups protect tracts from development
Population growth on the North Carolina coast has ramped up pressure on conservation groups to acquire and set aside land, such as the more than 2,000 acres in coastal counties recently protected from development, areas with natural landscape features that reduce flood risk, improve water quality and provide vital habitat.
New year, new definition: Feds set to limit water protections
The public has until Monday to comment on the Environmental Protection Agency and Army Corps of Engineers’ proposed changes to the “waters of the United States” definition that are expected to limit eligibility for federal water quality safeguards.
Public hearing Tuesday on proposed ‘WOTUS’ definition
A hearing is set for next week on the proposed definition rolled out last month for “Waters of the United States,” which outlines the waterbodies eligible for protection under the federal Clean Water Act, that conservationists warn will leave millions of acres of nontidal wetlands vulnerable to pollution, harm fish habitat and worsen flooding.
EPA, Army Corps leaders publish revised ‘WOTUS’ definition
Environmental Protection Agency and Army Corps of Engineers officials said Monday that proposed changes to the existing “waters of the United States” definition are to focus on relatively permanent, standing or continuously flowing bodies of water.
Carolina Beach volunteer planting rescheduled for Thursday
The volunteer planting, which was originally scheduled to take place Monday, will be held from 10 a.m. to noon Thursday in a 10-acre wetland that is being restored in Carolina Beach State Park.
Builder vows fight to develop land that includes Sledge Forest
Copper Builders founder Wade Miller says misconceptions are fueling opposition to his proposed Hilton Bluffs development on a portion of 4,000 acres including a nationally threatened forest; opponents say entire tract should be conserved.
Coastal Federation lauds environmental stewards, volunteers
The North Carolina Coastal Federation celebrated 15 coastal stewards Saturday during the annual Pelican Awards ceremony for sharing “their time and talents, through leadership, education, hands-on projects, and volunteer efforts, to inspire others and create lasting change.”
EMC moves groundwater standards, wetlands rules ahead
The N.C. Environmental Management Commission voted Thursday to send a groundwater standard rule for PFAS to the Rules Review Commission and a rule that defines wetlands in the state to the Office of Administrative Hearings.
Environmental commission to consider wetlands, PFAS rules
The Environmental Management Commission is to vote during its Sept. 11 meeting on a legally mandated change to the state’s regulatory definition of wetlands and on groundwater quality standards for PFOA, PFOS and GenX.
