3609 Hwy 24 (Ocean) | Newport, North Carolina 28570

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 23, 2001

Todd Miller, executive director
252-393-8185
toddm@nccoast.org

Outlook for Northeast
Released by Coastal Federation

     Ocean, NC - The North Carolina Coastal Federation has just released a Regional Outlook of key environmental issues that citizens and local governments in the northeast will confront over the next year. The northeast region includes the counties of Beaufort, Hyde, Dare, Washington, Tyrell, Bertie, Hertford, Gates, Chowan, Perquimans, Pasquotank, Camden and Currituck counties.
     According to Todd Miller, Coastal Federation's executive director, "For the most part, the northeastern part of the coast has grown very slowly over the last ten years."A pair of inland counties, Washington (-2%) and Bertie (-3%), actually lost population during the last decade, while Currituck (32.4%) and Dare (31.7%) counties were two of the top dozen fastest growing in the state. On top of the permanent population increase, seasonal housing in Dare County more than doubled, increasing by almost 7,000 buildings. "Seasonal housing in Currituck County tripled, bringing even more seasonal visitors to a small strip of land," Miller added.
     One of the Coastal Federation's top priorities is to keep North Carolina's beaches public and unspoiled. Dare County is planning what could be the most expensive beach renourishment project in the nation at $1.8 billion over 50 years. Miller said, "The price of this project is high because these beaches erode so quickly. It's time to think seriously about strategically retreating from the rising sea, especially when the costs of moving houses out of harms way is less than a quarter of what it takes to constantly pump new sand to swiftly eroding beaches."
     In Currituck County, several beachfront residents in the Whalehead Club Subdivision near Corolla have filed a lawsuit challenging the public's right to use the dry sand beach above the mean high tide line. "Governor Easley should vigorously defend the public's right to use the dry sand beach, just as he did as Attorney General," Miller said.
In the southern portion of Dare County, the NC Department of Transportation is trying to determine how to protect Highway 12 from an active ocean that has bludgeoned the road, forcing it to be rebuilt time and time again over the last fifty years. Miller said, "The options for keeping this roadway passable for many more decades are limited, and very expensive."
     A second Coastal Federation priority is to protect and restore water quality and habitat. Water, water everywhere, but not a drop to drink -- without treatment. Reverse osmosis treatment plants are springing up in almost a dozen northeast communities. The effluent from these plants could change the salinity of creeks, making them uninhabitable for spawning fish. "The State Division of Water Quality should require a comprehensive environmental review of all desalination and reverse osmosis plants before issuing permits," said Jim Stephenson, policy analyst for the Coastal Federation.
     While the Tar-Pamlico and Neuse rivers have 50-foot riparian buffers protecting streams, the other rivers in the northeast only have 30-foot buffers, which the Coastal Federation says are inadequate to protect water quality. Stephenson said, "The Environmental Management Commission should enact 50-foot buffers for all coastal river basins. However, the State Division of Water Quality should do a better job enforcing the existing 50-foot buffer rules on the Tar-Pam and Neuse."
     A third priority for the Coastal Federation is to achieve environmental law and order. PCS Phosphate has requested state and federal approval to destroy 2,530 acres of wetlands and 49 acres of surface waters to extract phosphate near its existing mine on the Pamlico River. Meanwhile, decades of mining have caused levels of cadmium in reclaimed soils and ponds to concentrate at more than 300 times background levels. "Naturally, we are concerned about the negative impact on wildlife. PCS needs to clean up its act first and then look toward upland areas to mine phosphate," Stephenson said.
     Three new sites are being considered for ethanol plants on the Chowan, Pamlico and Pasquotank rivers. Stephenson said, "It's time for the NC Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) to demand rigorous alternatives to plans to locate industries next to coastal rivers, as well as completely examine secondary and cumulative impacts of new industries."
     Achieving cost-effective land use practices is a fourth priority for the Coastal Federation. The northeast is characterized by gently sloping land as far as 50 miles inland. Sea level rise will continue reclaiming some of these lands each year. "Local planners need to prepare for sea level rise and direct construction away from areas that may no longer be there in fifty to a hundred years," said Miller.
     The state Environmental Management Commission, Coastal Resources Commission and Marine Fisheries Commission are jointly preparing coastal habitat protection plans for all coastal river basins and sounds. The initial plans to be developed are for the Chowan River and Coastal Ocean, followed by the Roanoke and Tar-Pamlico rivers and Southern Estuaries. Miller said, "Citizens should become involved in the development of these plans as they have a significant potential for improving water quality and fisheries habitat."
     The Coastal Federation included its Regional Outlook as a part of its 2001 State of the Coast Report. For a complete copy of the 2001 State of the Coast Report, call toll-free at 800-232-6210 or go to the Coastal Federation's web page at www.nccoast.org.