Our Goal: Enhance Coastal Water Quality and Reduce Flooding
Intense rainstorms cause flooding and water quality degradation as the runoff funnels pollutants to our coastal waters. The impacts are magnified by the altered landscape that channels rain instead of absorbing it. Reducing the volume of stormwater runoff is key to minimizing flooding and restoring coastal waters.
Clean coastal water is the foundation of our coastal economy and ecosystems and we depend on it for work and recreation. That’s why water quality will always be a priority for the Coastal Federation.
15,000 acres
of wetlands restored
billions
of gallons of stormwater runoff reduced
Stormwater Reduction Strategies
Nature-based stormwater strategies improve water quality and reduce flooding, resulting in cleaner & more productive coastal waters.
Intense rainstorms cause flooding and water quality degradation as the runoff funnels pollutants to our coastal waters. Impacts are magnified by the altered landscape that channels rain instead of absorbing it.
The Coastal Federation partners with numerous stakeholders to advance the use of nature-based stormwater strategies including strategic land acquisition and conservation easements, wetland restoration, urban stormwater retrofits, and other best management practices to reduce nutrient and bacteria loadings into coastal waterways and reduce flooding.
Showcasing these projects helps advance nature-based strategies as standard practice and provides valuable opportunities for developers, design professionals, contractors, elected and appointed officials, farmers, and landowners to better understand, utilize, and promote nature-based strategies.
Learn more about nature-based strategies for effective stormwater management in the North Carolina Action Plan.
Wetlands Restoration is one of the strategies like urban retrofits, land acquisition and wetland restoration, that are all nature-based stormwater strategies.
Wetlands tie together land and water and are some of the most productive ecosystems in the world.
The United States has lost over half of the wetlands in the lower 48 states, and the losses continue at an estimate of over 60,000 acres per year.
However, North Carolina is at a crucial point: unlike some areas like the Chesapeake Bay or Louisiana, we still have a fair amount of coastal wetlands left and our water quality is still relatively healthy. This is important, because it is FAR less costly to protect something than to restore it.
Wetlands have many important functions that benefit people and wildlife:
Provide habitat for a wide variety of wildlife and plants
Filter, clean and store water
Act as sponges to collect and hold flood waters
Absorb wind and tidal forces during storms, protecting the land behind them
Provide places of beauty for fishing, kayaking and exploring
Control erosion
Watershed Restoration Progress
The Federation has prioritized the restoration of the Stump Sound and Newport River watersheds and is actively finalizing formal plans to serve as the foundation for replicating and restoring their natural hydrology. Make these plans top priority
The Watershed Restoration Plan for Lake Mattamuskeet was developed through a partnership between the Hyde County Government, N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission, and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The North Carolina Coastal Federation was retained to develop the plan for approval by the N.C. Department of Environmental Quality’s 319 Program. The initial priority actions of this watershed restoration plan stem around establishing active water-level management capabilities on Lake Mattamuskeet and improve water management within the watershed.
In 2021, the Atlantic Beach Town Council unanimously approved a Watershed Restoration and Stormwater Resiliency Plan created in partnership with the Town, LDSI Engineering, the Coastal Federation, and the Eastern Carolina Council of Governments.
The Beaufort Stormwater Advisory Committee collaborated with the Coastal Federation, UNC Wilmington and Eastern Carolina Council to develop a watershed restoration plan to steer stormwater reduction efforts and lead implementation strategies to reduce polluted runoff and flooding in the town.
The North Carolina Coastal Federation teamed up with the Town of Pine Knoll Shores, University of North Carolina Wilmington’s Environmental Science Department and East Carolina Council (ECC) to create a watershed restoration plan for the small coastal community in Carteret County. The Plan sets a framework and strategy for targeting stormwater reduction techniques to reduce runoff and improve water quality. The primary goal of this plan is to improve water quality in Pine Knoll Shores and reduce permanent shellfish closures in Bogue Sound.
The Lower Cape Fear River Blueprint is a collaborative planning effort, led by the North Carolina Coastal Federation, to protect, manage and restore the important estuarine and riverine natural resources of the lower Cape Fear River.
April 8-9, 2025 Over 200 state legislators, agency staff, boat captains, researchers, restoration professionals, oyster growers, historians, and other partners
This map features sites along the North Carolina coast where stormwater projects have been completed and includes descriptions, photos, funding agencies and more.
The Watershed Restoration Plan for Lake Mattamuskeet was developed through a partnership between the Hyde County Government, N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission, and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The North Carolina Coastal Federation was retained to develop the plan for approval by the N.C. Department of Environmental Quality’s 319 Program. The initial priority actions of this watershed restoration plan stem around establishing active water-level management capabilities on Lake Mattamuskeet and improve water management within the watershed.
Fish provide many dietary benefits as a source of lean protein, omega-3 fatty acids, and other essential nutrients. However, some types of fish can also be sources of harmful contaminants.
In 2021, the Atlantic Beach Town Council unanimously approved a Watershed Restoration and Stormwater Resiliency Plan created in partnership with the Town, LDSI Engineering, the Coastal Federation, and the Eastern Carolina Council of Governments.
The Beaufort Stormwater Advisory Committee collaborated with the Coastal Federation, UNC Wilmington and Eastern Carolina Council to develop a watershed restoration plan to steer stormwater reduction efforts and lead implementation strategies to reduce polluted runoff and flooding in the town.
The North Carolina Coastal Federation teamed up with the Town of Pine Knoll Shores, University of North Carolina Wilmington’s Environmental Science Department and East Carolina Council (ECC) to create a watershed restoration plan for the small coastal community in Carteret County. The Plan sets a framework and strategy for targeting stormwater reduction techniques to reduce runoff and improve water quality. The primary goal of this plan is to improve water quality in Pine Knoll Shores and reduce permanent shellfish closures in Bogue Sound.
