Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Watershed Drainage topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Cape Fear RC&D updates county on Waccamaw River watershed drainage feasibility work
Summary
Cape Fear Resource Conservation and Development Inc. is leading a multi-county assessment of drainage and storm debris issues in the Waccamaw River watershed, reporting limited grant resources to date, an engineering partner and upcoming stakeholder outreach.
Danielle D'Arcangelo, executive director of Cape Fear Resource Conservation and Development Inc., and Edward Davis, a board member who previously led the Columbus Soil and Water Conservation District, briefed commissioners on the Waccamaw River Watershed Drainage Project and invited county collaboration on funding and stakeholder outreach.
D'Arcangelo said the project began in 2019 and has included community meetings, field assessments and a contracted engineering firm, NS Consultants, to develop a watershed assessment and generate feasible projects. “We have actually put in, I think it's roughly $35,000 of our own funds into the project so far,” she said.
Edward Davis described recurring issues the assessment is studying, including downed trees after storms, beaver-related blockages and sedimentation that impede drainage. He said the work group includes counties in the region and Horry County, S.C., and that some components have already attracted state and federal funding for related culvert projects.
Commissioners and staff asked about funding pathways. D'Arcangelo said some partner counties have had larger matches and that Horry County has dedicated several million dollars to its portion of the project. County staff suggested pursuing federal mitigation funds tied to recent storms as a possible source, noting that the project already has engineering work underway that could help applications.
D'Arcangelo also said Cape Fear RC&D plans a stakeholder meeting in the fall to gather detailed input from Brunswick, Columbus and Bladen counties and invited the county to use the organization’s new grant-writing and grant-management services, which the group is offering to member counties and municipalities.
The transcript shows commissioners asked staff to follow up on funding and coordination with downstream South Carolina stakeholders; D'Arcangelo confirmed collaboration with Horry County and said legislative support there had yielded substantial funding for that jurisdiction’s portion of the watershed work. No formal county funding decision was made at the meeting; staff agreed to explore mitigation and grant sources.
The project remains in the assessment and feasibility stage, with the consultant and stakeholders expected to define implementable projects in the coming months.
