WILMINGTON, N.C. (WECT) – North Carolina officials have identified 21 actions for early consideration to help White Oak River Basin communities reduce flood risk, including stream restoration, drainage improvements and protections for critical facilities.
The actions are part of a new strategy from the state Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) that identifies 95 priorities across the basin. The strategy draws on local input, existing flood plans and vulnerability assessments.
“The White Oak River Basin Action Strategy will help communities keep their residents and critical infrastructure safe in the face of more frequent and severe flooding,” DEQ Secretary Reid Wilson said. “This strategy, the first of its kind in this basin, prioritizes resilience actions so that communities can make smart investments to reduce their flooding risk.”
The 21 actions were selected for early consideration based on local support, feasibility, capacity and potential benefits. They include floodplain and stream restoration, drainage and culvert improvements, roadway upgrades, early flood warning systems, and elevating or floodproofing critical facilities.
The broader list of actions also includes stormwater improvements, nature-based solutions, infrastructure protection, and policy and planning measures. The recommendations are intended to help guide initial investments and coordination, while allowing communities to adjust as funding, capacity and priorities change.
The strategy is based on a basinwide vulnerability assessment, a community capacity assessment and a gap analysis. Local governments developed action plans and submitted proposed flood resilience measures through DEQ’s Flood Resiliency Blueprint tool. A basin advisory group of representatives from government, nonprofits and academic institutions also provided technical guidance.
The online Blueprint tool provides flood risk and vulnerability assessments and allows communities to develop and evaluate resilience actions. DEQ says communities can use it with support from Blueprint staff to update local flood plans as new information and opportunities arise.
The White Oak River Basin Action Strategy and supporting materials are available here.
DEQ says the Blueprint program serves six of North Carolina’s 17 river basins. DEQ has released strategies for the Neuse, Tar-Pamlico and Lumber river basins; strategies for the Cape Fear and French Broad river basins are expected in the coming months.
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