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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2025-11-12 Minutes Access 2, 17Sept2024 HLB 18Sept2024 PostTS8, DRGFall 2023 DRG Port, Waterway, & Beach Commission Meeting November 12, 2025 Looking N from Crystal Pier in WB 11/25/25 approx. 1hr after high tide Notes/Discussions: Thanks again to Nicole w/ Moffatt & Nichol for a great NHC Shoreline Mapping Program presentation. Chairman Barbour let introductions. 10/8/25 meeting minutes unanimously approved. Layton Bedsole (former NHC Coastal Protection Coordinator) won the NC Beach, Inlet, Waterway Association’s Hero of the Coast Award. October nor’easter caused erosion across all beaches, specifically the north end of Figure 8 Island and caused escarpments across Wrightsville Beach. •Norfolk has been working on land-based mobilization and staging •Booster pump set up on Freeman Park •Norfolk aims to start dredging next week once environmental window opens •Plan is to pull as much material as possible from within inlet borrow area •Once there is a need to move to Offshore Borrow Area B, the Dredge Delaware will be brought over after completion of the Wilmington Harbor Inner Bar job and set up in Offshore Borrow Area B to continue to pump •USACE held public open house meeting in Carolina Beach on October 30th and will do the same in Kure Beach on November 17th at 4pm •Sand Placement Tracker: https://experience.arcgis.com/experience/309bcbf9e63c40a8aa96791332e6a0ec Carolina Beach and Kure Beach FY26 Coastal Storm Risk Management (CSRM) Dredge Charleston staging at CBI on MarineTraffic Notes/Discussions: Dredge Charleston arrived onsite the weekend of 11/8. The USACE is working to see if any adjustments are needed based on the pre-project survey results. Feb 27 Carolina Beach Inlet Maintenance Dredging •Merritt worked 11 days (10/14-10/24) •Approximately 24,000cy moved per Captain’s logs •Estimated event cost ~$445,000 •The County has initiated the transfer of local funds for FY26 Carolina Beach maintenance dredging •$262,500 local funds transferred to NCDWR, who then transfers the budgeted total ($1.01M) to USACE USACE Survey 10/9, 10/17 10/30 Notes/Discussion: USACE FY26 AIWW Maintenance Contract (Mason Inlet and Carolina Beach Inlet AIWW Crossings) •Southwind to begin dredging at Browns Inlet AIWW Crossing once environmental window opens •Preliminary schedule to work south to Mason Inlet AIWW Crossing then Carolina Beach Inlet AIWW Crossing/Snows Cut •Potential to change order of Mason Inlet and Carolina Beach Inlet/Snows Cut 8/26/25 USACE Survey of Mason Inlet Crossing 10/17/25 USACE Survey of Carolina Beach Inlet Crossing Notes/Discussion: Wilmington Harbor 403 (Wilmington Harbor Deepening Project) •Quick takeaways from Draft Environmental Impact Statement/Letter Report •Tentatively selected plan is -47’ deep, including some widening of certain reaches and extend the entrance channel ~9 miles offshore •Alternatives were No Action or -46’ deep •Also looked at sea level change in addition to alternatives •Draft EIS Impacts •Increase of salinity -~2ppt increase in area of Port •Loss of ~1,071 acres of tidal freshwater wetlands •No new/increased saltwater flow into aquifers due to deepening, if small changes occur it’s due to existing flow field changes •Reduction in ship wake created erosion because fewer number of ships traversing river channel •~50% of material would be beneficially used (beaches, bird islands, intertidal placement, fish habitat enhancement) •17% of material in project is beach compatible material •Draft EIS Mitigation •Fish passage improvement at Lock & Dam #1 and Lock & Dam #2 •Restore a section of coastal wetland habitat adjacent to Alligator Creek (adjacent to Brunswick River and US17) with removal of ~120 acres of Phragmites, restore tidal flow, and plant native coastal wetland species •Preservation, monitoring, protection of ~550 acres of swamp forest wetlands along Black River Notes/Discussion: This slide is a very brief overview of a few report/draft EIS findings. Strongly recommended to everyone that they read into specifics if interested, but at the very least read through the USACE posterboards (from the USACE public open house) that are saved via PDF on their website (the link is on the next slide). Wilmington Harbor 403 (Wilmington Harbor Deepening Project) Summary of County submitted comments: 1.Inclusion of Kure Beach as option for future beneficial reuse placement 2.Reiteration of the importance of the protection of County’s aquifers and monitoring of these aquifers in case of unintended consequences 3.Encourage that a portion of the mitigation occurs within New Hanover County 4.Further evaluation of the proposed restoration of Phragmites to ensure that any restoration/mitigation sees long term success 5.Sediment testing for PFAS and contaminant concerns when using Cape Fear River material for beneficial reuse Link to 403 Letter Report/Draft EIS and open house posterboards - https://www.saw.usace.army.mil/Missions/Navigation/Dredging/Wilmington- Harbor/Wilmington-Harbor-403-Letter-Report-and-EIS/ Notes/Discussion: Carolina Beach and Masonboro included as options (although currently deemed too expensive) for future beneficial reuse of harbor deepening material, however Kure Beach was not included as even an option, hence comment #1. Comments submitted by Madelyn Wampler (County’s Sustainability Manager) and Bryan Hall (County’s Coastal Protection Coordinator). Keith Smith asked if County’s full comments will be attached to summary email and they will be attached. Next Meeting: December 10th Public Comment/Open Discussion Notes/Discussion: Large thanks given to Wrightsville Mayor Darryl Mills and Kure Beach Councilman Dennis Panicali for their service as they are not running for re-election and will be leaving PWBC. Discussion led by Sue Bulluck about having the NHC Shoreline Mapping Program Report condensed and be able to be made publicly available as it contains important information and data that helps fight some public misunderstanding.