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<br /> <br />EMERALD ISLE STORM WATER MANAGEMENT PROJECT <br /> <br />Since Hurricane Fran, several communities, including Emerald Isle, have develDped <br />initiatives to strengthen public facilities against the effeccs of natural hazards. Emer- <br />ald Isle, a coastal community in Carreret County, has a history of storm \!-,,Iater flood~ <br />ing. Drainage structures are not sized to remove storm water accumulations that <br />result from heavyl rains. The situation is compounded by a swale (a natural depres- <br />sion) that extends through much of the residential area. Additionally, more than <br />15,000 trees died as a result of Hurricanes Bertha and Fran, disturbing the natural <br />absorption of floodwater and indirectly contributing to damage problems, <br /> <br />After a series of public meetings in 1998 to discuss a range of alternatives, a three- <br />phased approach emerged and will be funded by the HMGP and the Clean Water <br />Management Trust Fund, The first phase entails the development of a GIS program to <br />integrate spatial data layers (soils, nood boundaries, land use, problem siles, ete,) that <br />have been gathered from state and local agencies and through imervie\vs with <br />impacted homeO\vners. GIS \vill be used to model groundv..'ater processes and to <br />evaluate cost -effective solutions. The second phase will be to formulate design <br />alternatives that v,/ill include natural as wen as man-made elements such as pumping <br />to \vetlands, aquifer recharge and recovery systems, pre-treatment pumpIng systems <br />that discharge into the ocean, and others. The third phase will involve the implemen- <br />tation and monitoring of the storm water mitigation program. <br /> <br />The Emerald Isle storm water mitigation project is an example of development taking <br />place in an area that does not narural1y drain, a situation that has been compounded <br />by the frequency of storms and hurricanes in the past five years. As the Town <br />Manager explains: <br /> <br />"We essentially have a natural 'bath tub' with no drain. in the midst of residenrial <br />development, Virtually any rain accumulation causes a problem, WIth the <br />pumping stations, we will be able to pump the floodwaters to the ocean jar <br />disposal into the beach strand. At best, we will be able [Q manage a problem that, <br />in our case, needs an engineering solution." <br /> <br />- Pele Allen, March 9, 1999 <br /> <br /> <br />Storm water in Emerald Isle is diverted to a series oj ponds, bur <br />other measures are needed to effectively manage runoff <br /> <br />~(\;>;:;:~:~; ,~ <br /> <br />___..,_4HW..,m <br /> <br />Augusl1999 <br />