The state’s Division of Coastal Management (DCM) will hold a public hearing to gather comments on the revision of its permit for the construction of marsh sills. The public hearing will be held on January 8 at 5 p.m. at 400 Commerce Avenue in Morehead City.
The state’s coastal agency has led an effort over several years to streamline the permitting process for the construction of marsh sills. The existing general permit requires coordination with several state and federal agencies, which extends the time it takes to issue the permit. Recently, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers proposed a regional general permit for the construction, maintenance, and repair of marsh sills. DCM is revising its general permit to be consistent with the federal marsh sills general permit.
“The Division of Coastal Management and the Coastal Resources Commission have undertaken substantial, long-term efforts to advance marsh sills and other forms of living shorelines as alternatives to traditional bulkheads for estuarine shoreline stabilization in North Carolina, and streamlining the state’s general permit is a significant part of that effort,” said Braxton Davis, director of the Division of Coastal Management. “We are pleased to see Corps of Engineers moving forward with a general permit and look forward to offering an expedited permitting process once the federal rule is finalized.”
Marsh sills maintain existing connections between upland, intertidal, estuarine, and aquatic areas while providing shoreline erosion control. Marsh sills typically use native materials such as marsh plants, oyster shells, and occasionally minimal amounts of structural materials to stabilize estuarine shorelines, minimize erosion, and enhance habitats.
Comments will be accepted now through January 17, 2019 and can be submitted to: Braxton Davis, 400 Commerce Avenue, Morehead City, NC 28557.
For more background and to see the rule changes, go to https://tinyurl.com/yc3vwamj.
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