The North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality’s Division of Coastal Management (DCM) is awarding more than $1.1 million dollars in grants to five communities to implement priority projects through the Resilient Coastal Communities Program (RCCP).
The primary objective of Phase 4 of the RCCP is to provide funding to assist communities with the implementation and construction of a prioritized project identified in their RCCP Resilience Strategy or other existing plans that meet the RCCP’s Phases 1 and 2 planning criteria.
The 2023-2024 selected projects include:
- The Town of Belhaven: Wynne’s Gut Tidal Gates and Flood Attenuation- $263,200
- The City of New Bern: Duffyfield Community Resilience Improvement-Rose Street Basin Restoration and Enhancement, Construction Phase- $175,320
- The Town of Pine Knoll Shores: Tree Street Swales- $215,000
- The Town of Vandemere: Vandemere Draining Improvements- $250,000
- The City of Washington: Jack’s Creek Floodplain and Greenway Improvements- $263,200
“Thanks to the proactive work of these communities in earlier phases of the Resilient Coastal Communities Program, they are ready to take advantage of grant funding to implement shovel-ready resilience projects that will protect their residents from coastal hazards,” said Secretary Elizabeth S. Biser.
The RCCP serves to support communities in developing and implementing locally driven Resilience Strategies, and implementing projects or activities which reduce the impacts of coastal hazards like flooding and storms. This initiative provides funding to local governments to help overcome barriers in coastal resilience and adaptation planning, boost local government capacity, and support a proactive, sustainable, and equitable approach to coastal resilience planning and project implementation.
The program is being implemented over four phases:
- Community Engagement and Risk & Vulnerability Assessment
- Planning, Project Selection, and Prioritization
- Project Engineering and Design
- Implementation
Community applications were reviewed based on the following criteria: project alignment with the community Resilience Strategy priority ranking; project outcomes including environmental, social, and economic; the project’s ability to reduce the vulnerability of a critical asset or population; the project’s inclusion of nature-based or hybrid components; and the project’s ability to achieve the community's vision and goals.
The RCCP receives funding from a combination of state and federal sources.
For more information about the Resilient Coastal Communities program: go to the DCM website.
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