The NC Coastal Federation (NCCF) is working with key partners to develop a watershed action plan for the Newport River. The Plan provides an overview of the past, present, and projected water quality conditions of the Newport River, as well as methods and strategies intended to reduce the rate and volume of polluted stormwater runoff to improve water quality and mitigate flooding. The final plan was submitted to the NC Division of Water Resources and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for review and approval. Once approved, the watershed communities and partners will be eligible to apply for competitive EPA 319 implementation funding to implement plan priorities.
The NCCF has partnered with the North Carolina Coastal Land Trust on a multi-year acquisition and restoration project within the watershed. To date, this effort has resulted in securing 2,030 acres of riparian property; an additional 897 acres are under contract. These properties are ditched and drained pine plantations historically managed by Weyerhaeuser Corporation. When the project is completed, the contiguous properties being purchased will restore a natural buffer along about 5.3 miles of estuarine shoreline along the river. Funding for the first land acquisition has come from the N.C. General Assembly, the N.C. Land and Water Fund, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD), demonstrating a successful partnership between conservation priorities and military interests in buffering military installations. NC State researchers Dr. Natalie Nelson and Dr. Angela Harris, and PhD student Julia Harrison, continued their water quality sampling and analysis.
The Federation partnered with the KIETS Climate Leaders Program to host a scholar at the Federation’s Central Office. Swarna Chowdhury, NC State PhD Student in Environmental Engineering, has expertise in coastal modeling that evaluates coastal hydrodynamics and sediment transport in the face of different environmental and anthropogenic activities, which include extreme events like hurricanes, aquatic habitat changes, shoreline migration and aquaculture. The Federation also mentored a Kenan Fellow, Jason Vanzant, and continues to work with Jason in his new role as Schools in Parks Coordinator at Hammocks Beach State Park. The NCCF coordinated a field trip session for the Kenan Fellows Program for Teacher Leadership’s Mountains to Sea Cohort in partnership with Duke University Marine Lab and Core Sound Waterfowl Museum, focused on living shorelines, resiliency and wetland restoration. The NCCF is exploring ways to continue these important relationships through another Climate Leaders Program Intern.