Neuse basin included in study
By Steve Herring
Published in News on November 16, 2017 5:50 AM
A planned flood source and mitigation study of the Neuse River basin is a "move in the right direction" in finding ways to help lessen the potential for future devastating flooding, Wayne County Manager George Wood said.
Wood said he knew a study had been discussed, but had not heard that one definitely would be approved.
"But I think anything that looks at what we might do to mitigate flooding on the Neuse would be helpful," he said. "We will need to stay involved in it and focused on it so that we are an integral part of the study.
"It sounds good. It sounds like a move in the right direction to me."
Wayne, Cumberland, Robeson and Edgecombe were the four counties hardest hit by historic flooding in the wake of Hurricane Matthew in October 2016.
Locally, in an effort to help mitigate flooding, the county will use grant funding to clean out waterways.
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 does not allow for any work on the Neuse River.
The Neuse River basin study is one of several such studies announced Tuesday by Gov. Roy Cooper.
Studies will be conducted by the state on the Lumber and Tar rivers as well.
A fourth study, this one on the Cashie River, is being conducted by Bertie County and the town of Windsor.
Cooper has said one of his top priorities is to help eastern North Carolina recover and to be better prepared for future storms.
These flood mitigation studies will help the state learn more about the sources and severity of flooding, he said.
"Communities throughout eastern North Carolina are rebuilding from Hurricane Matthew, and we want to learn all we can from these floods so we can better prepare for the future," Cooper said. "This effort will guide our recovery from the last storm and make us better equipped to weather the next one."
N.C. Emergency Management, in partnership with the N.C. Department of Transportation, will lead the study that is to be completed in early spring of 2018.
The study will also recommend mitigation strategies.
N.C. State University will partner with N.C. Emergency Management and other experts to coordinate with the U.S. Highway 70 Corridor Commission and communities in the Neuse River basin.
Wayne County is a member of the commission.
Also, the N.C. Department of Environmental Quality has been awarded a $500,000 grant by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to catalogue all existing information on dam systems throughout the basin, and integrate that information into a hydrologic and hydraulic model.
This model will further the experts' understanding of the effectiveness of these dams.
"There was a study done decades ago about the possibility of more dams upstream, which would slow the water down and store it, then let them discharge some of it later," Wood said. "So I think if they are going to update that, it sounds likes the (Army) Corps (of Engineers) would have to be involved in that."
It has been a local consensus to have the Army Corps of Engineers look at the dams and see what might could be done, he said.
Advisory councils, that will include local leaders, will be established in the affected areas around the river basins to be studied.
The councils will provide an opportunity for experts to work with flood-prone communities on ways to better prepare for and prevent flooding.
The studies also will provide communications with those in the surrounding areas who were heavily impacted by floods about strategies moving forward.
They will work as well with the Army Corps of Engineers and other federal partners to implement basin-specific mitigation measures recommended by the respective studies.
* Lumber River: N.C. Emergency Management, working with the DOT, will lead the study.
Recently, N.C. Emergency Management Risk Management completed a study on the flooding around the levee in Lumberton. This was a major source of flooding for properties and for Interstate 95.
The study generated five possible flood mitigation strategies for the city of Lumberton to consider, including the installation and operation of flood gates where there are openings around the levee. The results of the study are expected to be shared with the city soon.
* Tar River: North Carolina Emergency Management, in tandem with the DOT, will lead the study.
Additionally, working with the DOT, the engineering firm Moffat & Nichol is conducting an in-depth hydrology study of the section of the Tar River between Tarboro and Princeville.
This study will inform Tarboro and Princeville about the causes of major flooding and the best strategies to mitigate future floods.
The study will be incorporated into the larger Tar River study led by N.C. Emergency Management.
* Cashie River: Bertie County and the town of Windsor are currently working with N.C. State University on a hydrologic and hydraulic model and strategic mitigation study of the Cashie River.
This study is funded through the Disaster Recovery Act of 2016 allocation to the Golden LEAF.