New Hanover County joins state coastal resilience program to focus on Upper Smith Creek flooding

Madeline Wampler, New Hanover County sustainability manager, told the Board of Commissioners that the county has been awarded participation in the North Carolina Resilient Coastal Communities Program and will use the one‑year, state‑led effort to develop a resilience strategy and a portfolio of projects for the Upper Smith Creek watershed.

Wampler said the program, created in 2020 and administered by the North Carolina Division of Coastal Management, provides no‑cost technical assistance and that "the funding does not directly go to the communities. It goes to a technical contractor," adding that New Hanover County was matched with the contractor Moffett and Nicholl. She noted the county will sign a memorandum of understanding with the contractor to define roles and responsibilities.

The memo matters because the county did not need prior board approval to join phases 1 and 2 of the program; staff applied earlier this spring and were awarded participation. Under the RCCP structure, phases 1 and 2 produce a resilience strategy and a project portfolio; phases 3 and 4, which the county may choose to pursue later, focus on project design and implementation. Wampler said the program requires counties to select a focus area and that staff selected the Upper Smith Creek watershed because of "a high density of repetitive flood loss properties," frequent stormwater service calls and the presence of critical county assets and socially vulnerable populations.

County engineers described existing work in the area and how RCCP will connect to it. Derek Shrew, chief engineer in stormwater services, said the county has already completed multiple watershed and hydraulic studies and "we've completed 12 projects in that area since stormwater services been implemented." He added that the county has mapped roughly 400 miles of open channel and has about 300 miles eligible for county assistance, and that additional creek assessment and watershed studies are in queue but constrained by funding.

Wampler described the program deliverables: a resilience strategy and a project portfolio that must include at least five candidate projects. She said projects may be planning studies, ordinance or policy updates, or physical nature‑based projects such as rain gardens, and that the portfolio is a menu of options — it does not obligate the county to fund or implement every item. The county will form a community action team of up to about 10 members representing infrastructure, transportation and socially vulnerable community perspectives to guide local engagement.

Wampler outlined next steps and timing: orientation and kickoff in September, development of the community action team, strategy and project selection through 2026, and then a county decision about applying to phases 3 and 4, which provide design and implementation funding. She also noted that the City of Wilmington and the Town of Carolina Beach were awarded participation in RCCP this year and that Wilmington was matched with the same contractor, which county staff said may help regional coordination of engagement and planning.

County officials emphasized limitations and existing priorities. Wampler reiterated there is no local match requirement for the RCCP assistance and that the county will not directly manage program funds. Shrew and other engineering staff cautioned that while many local projects and studies exist, additional detail and funding are required to move from strategy to construction.

The board asked questions about accelerating implementation and creating shovel‑ready projects to increase chances of winning implementation grants in later phases. Wampler said a well‑executed phase 1/2 deliverable and an experienced contractor improve prospects for later funding but that pursuing phases 3 and 4 remains a county decision after the strategy phase.

The presentation concluded with staff offering to return with details as the community action team forms and the project portfolio is developed.