County seeks funds for streams cleanout
By Steve Herring
Published in News on October 23, 2017 5:50 AM
Wayne County is seeking a $400,000 grant to help clean out streams that empty into the Neuse River in an effort to improve drainage and reduce flooding.
If it is funded, it will bring the total for the project to more than $800,000.
However, the money will not achieve its full potential unless property owners agree to allow crews on their property to do the cleanout work.
Letters, including an agreement to allow that access, have been sent to property owners whose land abuts the waterways.
The agreement must be completed, signed and returned to the county. If a property owner does not respond, or does not grant access, that section of the stream on the property will be bypassed.
The grants funding the project do not provide any money for hauling off the debris. Instead, it will be taken from the stream and placed between 15 to 30 feet up from the stream bed. The agreement spells out that the property owner agrees to that condition as well.
Under the agreement, contractors or subcontractors would be allowed to use paths on the property, but does not authorize them to cross over any field in which a crop is growing.
During the Wayne County commissioners' recent meeting, Commissioner Ed Cromartie asked about how property owners are being contacted.
Cromartie suggested that the county should continue to publicize the need for property owners to sign the consent letters.
"Oftentimes people will not recognize something or are not sure about it -- 'Does this mean me?'" he said.
It is being placed on the county's TV channel and social media, said Clerk to the Board Carol Bowden.
Cromartie said that, while it is good to place the information on social media, some people in the county are more apt to see it in the newspaper.
Seeing it in the newspaper makes it more final and clearer, Cromartie said.
"So you are sending out a letter?" Commissioner Joe Daughtery said. "If you get no response, do we have a follow-up on that?"
"They try to follow up, but ultimately, if you don't sign that, we can't go on your property," County Manager George Wood said. "We are trying to reach out to everybody."
The county has received $461,473 in grants for the work to remove storm debris left behind by Hurricane Matthew and tropical storms Julia and Hermine.
It includes $223,961 from the North Carolina Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services Division of Soil & Water - Stream Debris Removal Project and $237,473 from the Golden LEAF Foundation.
The initial work, which will include removal of at least four beaver dams, will be done in two phases.
Much of the first phase of will focus on Stoney Creek from:
* Combs Road to the U.S. 70 Bypass.
* U.S. 70 Bypass to the Goldsboro city limit.
* Goldsboro city limit to where the city limit crosses West New Hope Road.
* Billy Branch to where the city limit crosses Royall Avenue.
* Off Slocumb Street to the Neuse River.
Other channels to be cleaned in the first phase are Halfmile Branch and one from near First Congregational Church at Dudley to Durham Lake and then to the outlet from Durham Lake to Thoroughfare Swamp.
The second phase will include Thoroughfare Swamp to Falling Creek; Falling Creek at U.S. 13 South to the Neuse River; and the U.S. 13 South blue line ditch to Falling Creek at Hood Drive.
The county awarded a $146,507.25 contract to A&K Grading for the work in July.
The low bid left the county with approximately $315,000 in grant funding.
"Bids were low, so we are going out for a second bid to clear more streams," Wood said. "We have those bids in and are checking out the low bidder now on his references. I think we could have something to you by our next meeting."
Assistant County Manager Craig Honeycutt said there is a second grant the county has applied for and is waiting on that award as well.
"If that gets awarded that could almost be an additional $400,000," Honeycutt said.
"So we can't award anything until we get word on that next grant, and then we will know what we have got," Wood said.
While the cleanout work can extend up to and along the Neuse River, the county cannot do any work in the river itself.
The cleanout will be a "snag and drag" operation in which crews will clean debris that has fallen into the stream bed and is restricting water flow and/or contributing to flooding during heavy rain events.
It will be done by hand and light equipment in order to minimize the impact on the streams and surrounding areas.
The project is being conducted by Wayne Soil and Water Conservation.