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DEQ visit flagged wetlands overlap at 320 River Road; town to meet with USACE for clarification
Summary
DEQ staff marked riparian buffers and noted wetlands overlap near 320 River Road, advising the town and homeowners to consult the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers on whether heavy undergrowth may be removed. A USACE meeting is scheduled for mid-January.
Town officials reported on a Dec. 13 site visit at 320 River Road in which North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality staff Allen Stewart and Brooke Sherman met with homeowners and a resident to mark riparian buffer zones and identify potential wetlands overlap. Commissioner Lee Bowen and Clerk April S. Alligood attended the on-site meeting.
DEQ representatives signaled that homeowners may remove invasive plants such as poison ivy and poison oak, but they did not broadly authorize clearing of dense undergrowth. Because wetlands appear to overlap the property, DEQ advised the town and property owners to consult the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) for a formal determination about allowable vegetation management and whether proposed changes would require federal review or permits. The town scheduled a meeting with USACE and the homeowners for mid-January.
Commissioner Bowen said the town’s concern centers on heavy undergrowth that residents consider 'noxious' and whether that vegetation can be trimmed or must remain to protect the riparian habitat. The NC State Cooperative Extension offered to help draft suggested ordinance language as part of the town’s ongoing ordinance review. The board will await USACE guidance before authorizing further work.
