[0:00] All

[0:02] right. Good evening, ladies and

[0:03] gentlemen. Uh, the time is now 6 pm. Uh,

[0:06] and I call this public uh, hearing to

[0:08] order. Uh, with the Army Corps of

[0:11] Engineers, uh, public hearing regarding

[0:13] the town of North Topsel's proposed new

[0:16] river inlet master management plan. My

[0:19] name is Lieutenant Colonel Ken Porter,

[0:21] commander of the Wilmington District.

[0:23] Under federal regulation, I am the

[0:25] serving as the presiding officer tonight

[0:27] responsible for regulating the course of

[0:29] this hearing and ensuring that all

[0:31] participants have a fair and orderly

[0:33] opportunity to participate.

[0:36] On behalf of the Wilmington District and

[0:38] our participating agency partners, thank

[0:41] you for taking the time to be here this

[0:43] evening. I would also like to thank the

[0:46] town of North Topsel Beach for providing

[0:48] their town hall space for our event.

[0:50] Thank you.

[0:54] All right. Before we begin, I'd like to

[0:55] introduce the agency representatives and

[0:57] technical partners seated up front uh

[1:00] with me. Uh to my right here is Mr.

[1:02] Tommy Fennel, chief of the regulatory

[1:04] division of the Wilmington District Army

[1:06] Corps of Engineers.

[1:08] To his right down there on the end is

[1:11] Mr. Ronnie Smith. He's the chief of the

[1:12] Wilmington uh regulatory field office as

[1:16] part of the Wilmington District. Miss

[1:18] Emily Hughes to his left uh is the

[1:21] project manager uh for this project in

[1:24] the Wilmington Regulatory Field Office.

[1:26] Mr. Greg Bodner

[1:28] to my left is the major permits

[1:30] coordinator, North Carolina Division of

[1:32] Coastal Management. Mr. Cameron Luck,

[1:35] [clears throat]

[1:37] there he is. All right. Federal

[1:39] consistency coordinator, North Carolina

[1:41] Division of Coastal Management. And Mr.

[1:44] Steve Dial,

[1:47] Dial and Cordi Associates third party

[1:49] environmental contractor. Uh, thank you

[1:52] all for your presence and support

[1:54] tonight.

[1:56] At this time, I'd like to recognize the

[1:58] elected and appointed public officials

[2:00] who have joined us this evening. As I

[2:01] call your name, please stand so we may

[2:04] acknowledge you.

[2:06] Mr. Rick Grant, North Topsil Beach

[2:08] Mayor.

[2:11] Kip Malcolm, North Topsil Beach

[2:14] Alderman.

[2:16] » Also in the corner. All right. Fred

[2:18] Fontana, North Topsil Beach alderman.

[2:23] » Thanks, Fred. Mary Barefoot.

[2:26] » Mark.

[2:27] » Mark Barefoot.

[2:29] You got to work on your handwriting

[2:31] there, Mark.

[2:33] [laughter]

[2:39] All right, John Gunter, uh, North, uh,

[2:42] Topsil Beach Commissioner.

[2:44] Thanks, John.

[2:48] Are there any other elected or appointed

[2:50] officials present who did not have the

[2:51] opportunity to sign in at the front

[2:53] table?

[2:55] » If so, please [clears throat] stand and

[2:56] introduce yourself now.

[3:03] » Thank you.

[3:07] Mayor Teresa Bats.

[3:10] Glad to be here.

[3:10] » Thanks, Mayor Bats. Anyone else?

[3:16] All right. All right. Thank you for your

[3:18] attendance this evening.

[3:20] The purpose of this hearing is twofold.

[3:22] First, to inform the public of the

[3:24] release of the draft environmental

[3:26] impact statement for the New River Inlet

[3:28] Master Management Plan. and second to

[3:31] receive formal information, evidence,

[3:34] and oral comments from the public that

[3:36] will be considered in the development of

[3:38] the final environmental impact

[3:40] statement. I want to be very direct

[3:42] about the nature of this proceeding.

[3:44] Tonight's hearing is not a question and

[3:46] answer session, nor is it a town hall

[3:49] debate. We are here strictly to listen

[3:51] to your statements and record your

[3:53] comments for the formal administrative

[3:55] record. Furthermore, I must emphasize

[3:58] that the United States Army Corps of

[3:59] Engineers is completely neutral in the

[4:01] review of this proposal. The core is

[4:03] neither an advocate nor an opponent of

[4:05] the proposed project. Our role is

[4:08] strictly regulatory and evaluative.

[4:11] Following the close of the comment

[4:12] period and the completion of the final

[4:14] environmental impact statement as a a

[4:17] comprehensive record of decision will be

[4:19] prepared to document the COR's official

[4:21] determination. Your spoken comments

[4:23] tonight, as well as any written comments

[4:25] you submit during the comment period,

[4:26] carry equal weight and are an essential

[4:29] component of that evaluation process.

[4:34] To ensure that tonight's proceedings

[4:36] remain fair, efficient, and orderly for

[4:38] everyone wishing to speak, the following

[4:39] ground rules will apply throughout the

[4:41] hearing. Number one, focus on official

[4:45] testimony. As stated, this is an an

[4:47] official hearing to receive testimony,

[4:50] not a dialogue or Q&A. The panel will

[4:52] listen carefully but will not respond to

[4:54] questions from the podium tonight.

[4:57] Speaker order. I will call speakers to

[4:59] the microphone individually using the

[5:02] signup lists prepared during

[5:03] registration. In accordance with

[5:05] standard procedure, elected officials

[5:07] will be invited to speak first, followed

[5:09] by members of the general public in the

[5:12] order in which they registered.

[5:14] The time limit is three minutes. Each

[5:17] speaker will have exactly three minutes

[5:18] to deliver their remarks. Please respect

[5:21] the other speakers and the attendees and

[5:23] adhere to this limit so that everyone

[5:25] has their allotted time. Timekeeper

[5:28] signals. We have a designated

[5:29] timekeeper.

[5:31] The monitors will display a threeminut

[5:33] timer that will start once you begin

[5:34] speaking. Do we have a monitor? It's

[5:37] going to be on there.

[5:40] » All right. It'll be on the monitor.

[5:42] » And if it's not, we'll have we'll have

[5:43] someone notify you how much time you

[5:45] have left. All right. All right. When

[5:46] you have 20 seconds remaining, the

[5:47] timekeeper will raise will raise a

[5:50] yellow indicator card. When your three

[5:52] minutes have expired, uh I will ask you

[5:54] to conclude your remarks immediately.

[5:57] Clear record for the court reporter. We

[5:59] have an official court reporter

[6:00] transcribing every word spoken tonight.

[6:02] When your name is called, please step up

[6:05] directly to the podium microphone. State

[6:07] your full name, your spelling, and any

[6:09] group or organization that you

[6:11] represent. Speak clearly and at a

[6:13] measured pace into the microphone.

[6:16] and decorum. Please refrain from

[6:19] applause, cheering, booing, or vocal

[6:21] interruptions from the floor. We ask

[6:23] that everyone treat their fellow

[6:24] community members and all attendees with

[6:26] courtesy and mutual respect. I

[6:29] appreciate your cooperation and adhering

[6:31] to these standards.

[6:34] I will now invite Mr. Tommy Fennel,

[6:36] chief of the Wilmington District

[6:38] Regulatory Division, to explain the

[6:40] statutory authorities and regulatory

[6:42] framework governing this review. Over to

[6:45] you, Tommy.

[6:47] » Thank you, sir. Good evening, folks. My

[6:50] objective tonight is to provide a brief

[6:52] overview of the Department of the Army's

[6:54] regulatory authority and the framework

[6:56] governing our environmental review. Core

[6:59] of Engineers operates under three

[7:00] primary legal frameworks for actions of

[7:03] this type. The National Environmental

[7:05] Policy Act, often referred to as NEPA,

[7:08] is our nation's foundational

[7:09] environmental statute. It requires

[7:12] federal agencies to evaluate the

[7:13] environmental effects of proposed major

[7:16] major federal actions prior to making a

[7:18] decision. When a proposed action has the

[7:21] potential to significantly affect the

[7:22] quality of the human environment,

[7:24] beneficially or adversely, the agency

[7:27] must prepare an EIS or environmental

[7:29] impact statement. Second is a section 10

[7:32] of the Rivers and Harbors Act of 1899.

[7:35] That one's been around a while. Section

[7:37] 10 authorizes the Secretary of the Army

[7:39] acting through the core to regulate

[7:41] structures or work within navigable

[7:42] waters of the United States. And third,

[7:45] section 404 of the Clean Water Act.

[7:48] Section 404 authorizes the core to issue

[7:50] permits for the discharge of dredged or

[7:52] field material into waters of the United

[7:55] States.

[7:56] Jurisdiction in the draft EIS. A little

[7:59] explanation of what that is. During the

[8:01] initial scoping for the town of North

[8:02] Topsil's beach, their proposal waters

[8:06] and wetlands that this project would

[8:08] impact that were subject to our

[8:10] jurisdiction were identified. Because

[8:12] the proposal includes shoreline

[8:14] protection measures and a proposed

[8:15] terminal groin, the court determined

[8:17] that the project could significantly

[8:18] affect the human and natural

[8:20] environment. Consequently, we initiated

[8:22] the preparation of this draft EIS under

[8:26] NEPA and the council of environmental

[8:28] quality guidelines.

[8:30] The draft EIS objectively evaluates a

[8:32] range of reasonable and practable

[8:34] alternatives that meet the town's stated

[8:36] purpose and need. To be entirely clear,

[8:39] the core has not received a formal

[8:41] department of the Army application at

[8:43] this time. We anticipate receiving a

[8:45] permit application in the spring of 2027

[8:49] concurrent with the completion of a

[8:50] final EIS. At that time, another public

[8:54] notice will be published for review and

[8:57] comment on that specific application.

[9:00] The mission of our regulatory program is

[9:01] to balance fair and reasonable

[9:03] development while safeguard safeguarding

[9:05] our nation's aquatic resources.

[9:08] Under our regulations, any eventual

[9:11] permit decision is governed by a

[9:13] permanent public interest review. This

[9:16] requires a careful comprehensive

[9:18] balancing of all foreseeable benefits

[9:20] against all foreseeable environmental,

[9:23] economic, and community detriments.

[9:25] Every spoken comment delivered tonight

[9:27] and every written statement received by

[9:29] the deadline will become part of the

[9:31] official administrative record and will

[9:33] directly inform the final environmental

[9:36] impact statement. Thank you for your

[9:38] constructive participation in this

[9:40] process this afternoon is very important

[9:42] to what we do. I'll now turn the

[9:44] presentation over to Miss Emily Hughes

[9:47] um Wilmington Regulatory Field Office

[9:48] project manager who will review the

[9:50] current status of the document and

[9:52] outline the timeline moving forward.

[9:54] Emily,

[9:56] » Thank you, Tommy. Good evening,

[9:59] everyone. Thanks for coming out. Got a

[10:02] good crowd out here tonight. I

[10:03] appreciate you being here. Um, as say,

[10:06] my name is Emily Hughes. I'm the project

[10:09] manager for the town's master management

[10:12] plan. My information is up on the

[10:15] monitors. There's also handouts with my

[10:17] contact information. Um, I will be

[10:21] reviewing the document and sorry, I

[10:25] should probably stick to my script here.

[10:27] I'm not good at improvising.

[10:29] Um, so I'm I'm responsible for managing

[10:33] the environmental review of of the

[10:36] town's proposal. So the draft EIS that's

[10:39] out for comment right now um was

[10:42] authored by by our third party

[10:45] contractor which is D cordi Steve dial

[10:48] and Ralph Ralph Engel

[10:51] um and it's independently reviewed

[10:53] verified and adopted by the Army Corps

[10:56] of Engineers. So we the core are

[10:59] responsible for assuring that the

[11:01] content in the document and reviewed

[11:04] procedures are compliant with NEPA

[11:06] requirements.

[11:08] This document is comprehensive. So the

[11:11] main body includes the purpose and need

[11:13] for the proposed action, detailed

[11:16] analysis of five alternatives, a

[11:18] description of the affected environment

[11:20] and the environmental consequences of

[11:22] all five alternatives.

[11:25] And then there's appendices which

[11:26] include public agency comments derived

[11:29] from the initial scoping phase, the

[11:31] coastal engineering and hydrodnamic

[11:34] modeling studies. That's a good read.

[11:37] Um, and the comprehensive environmental

[11:39] and commulative impact analysis of all

[11:42] five alternatives.

[11:44] So under federal clean water act

[11:47] regulations, the core cannot issue a

[11:49] permit if there is a known less

[11:52] environmentally damaging practicable

[11:54] alternative. And in regulatory terms,

[11:57] this is known as leada, the least

[12:00] environmentally damaging practicable

[12:03] alternative.

[12:05] In the draft EIS, all action

[12:06] alternatives, including the town's

[12:08] preferred alternative, are regul

[12:11] rigorously

[12:13] evaluated against a no action

[12:15] alternative, which is the baseline.

[12:18] Among the action alternatives under

[12:20] review, two alternatives include a

[12:23] terminal groin, um, one with and one

[12:26] without inlet channel management.

[12:31] So the official p public comment period

[12:35] for the draft EIS closes Monday, October

[12:38] 19th, 2026.

[12:41] Following the close of the comment

[12:43] window, the core will review every

[12:45] substantive comment, conduct an

[12:46] additional required modeling or

[12:48] analysis, and then publish that final

[12:51] EIS.

[12:52] And as Tommy mentioned, they'll be

[12:54] available for an additional 30-day

[12:56] public review. And around that time, the

[12:59] town anticipates submitting a permit

[13:02] application for their preferred

[13:04] alternative,

[13:06] which we anticipate will be around March

[13:09] in 2027.

[13:11] So, if there are no unforeseen delays,

[13:13] the core anticipates completing our

[13:15] review and issuing a record of decision

[13:18] or rod in the summer of 2027. And the

[13:22] rod will will articulate the core's

[13:24] final decision, identify the selected

[13:27] alternative, and specify all mandatory

[13:30] environmental mitigative measures. And

[13:33] that that will conclude the EIS process.

[13:36] So, we value all your input. Uh, more

[13:39] specifically, we're looking for

[13:41] substantive comments that provide

[13:43] concrete factual information

[13:46] such as data on historic coastal

[13:48] conditions, observed natural

[13:51] occurrences,

[13:52] protected wildlife and habitat, cultural

[13:55] resources, or specific socioeconomic

[13:58] effects.

[14:00] Um,

[14:01] please note each participant need only

[14:04] submit one set of comments. Oral and

[14:06] written submissions receive equal weight

[14:09] in our decision-making record.

[14:12] And now I'd like to introduce Mr. Fran

[14:14] Wei, coastal engineer with ATM, who will

[14:17] provide an overview of the study area

[14:19] and summarize the five project

[14:22] alternatives.

[14:23] » Should I do it from here or

[14:24] » Wherever you feel more [clears throat]

[14:26] comfortable?

[14:54] I'm going to go through all five

[14:56] alternatives and that's pretty much

[14:57] Yeah. Um,

[15:03] is that enough now?

[15:10] » There it is.

[15:20] » Okay, ne next slide. Thanks, Ricky.

[15:24] Uh just a some a quick background. Uh

[15:29] the first beach nourishment inlet

[15:31] management project that the town did uh

[15:34] that environmental impact statement that

[15:36] was back in 2011 2010. They did get a

[15:41] 30-year permit to to dredge the channel,

[15:44] the new river in the channel and and you

[15:46] know place sand on the beach. Uh the

[15:50] nourishment and their phases. And I've

[15:52] got a image next to to just explain the

[15:54] phases. And then the borrow sources in

[15:58] within this document were the new river

[16:00] inlet, the outer bar channel and the

[16:02] offshore borrow site. And then the inlet

[16:04] rotation was this is the relocation of

[16:07] the outer bar channel. And the channel,

[16:10] you know, 3,500 feet long, 500 feet

[16:12] wide, 18 feet deep. And every four years

[16:16] they will repeat that. And that's the

[16:19] one thing. This is a reusable borrow

[16:20] area, so it makes it very valuable long

[16:24] term.

[16:28] Next slide, please.

[16:33] So, just really quickly, out of the EIS,

[16:36] they have the the phases. And so, you

[16:38] might hear phase one shoreline. Phase

[16:41] one shoreline is kind of where we're is

[16:43] right next to New River Inlet. That's

[16:45] like that's the the phase we're kind of

[16:47] concentrating on here. But there are

[16:49] five phases along the 11 miles of beach

[16:52] at North Topsel Beach. Uh in 2013, they

[16:56] did one of these projects where they

[17:00] uh dredge the inlet and put sand on the

[17:02] beach and it was up in the the the you

[17:04] know the project area on the north end.

[17:06] Uh a major uh the the in Yeah. Then then

[17:14] in 2013 they they started jumping around

[17:16] a little bit but we're going to stay on

[17:18] the inlet on the other side of the on

[17:20] the the central portion. And then in

[17:22] 2014 we had the you know sandbag

[17:25] revetments being uh placed

[17:28] and then 2015 there was that offshore

[17:31] bar area for phase five on the other

[17:33] side of the of North Topsel Beach. And

[17:36] you know there there were they did have

[17:38] a few rock problems back then.

[17:44] And 2017

[17:47] they had the the they modified the

[17:50] permit because that they they felt like

[17:52] that inlet channel was too close to the

[17:54] shoreline and they wanted to pivot it.

[17:57] And this is uh the consultants prior to

[17:59] me uh coastal protection engineering

[18:02] that uh then the the town switched up

[18:05] after about 2016 2017.

[18:09] So,

[18:10] uh, next slide, please. Here's just a

[18:13] project study area. We have, you know,

[18:15] North Topso Beach on the north end, New

[18:17] River Inlet, and then Enslow Beach on

[18:20] the other side where, you know, Camp

[18:21] Lune and and we've been working, you

[18:23] know, with coordinating with Camp Lun.

[18:28] Okay. Next, Ricky. Here are the

[18:30] alternatives uh that were carried

[18:33] forward for detailed analysis. We have

[18:36] the no action which is just a

[18:38] continuation of existing beach and

[18:40] inland manage management practices. We

[18:42] got alternative two abandon and retreat.

[18:46] No core authorized management activity.

[18:49] Alternative three beach nourishment

[18:52] only. Alternative four beach nourishment

[18:55] and uh terminal groin. No pivot channel.

[18:59] And then alternative five the applicants

[19:01] preferred is the beach nourishment

[19:03] terminal groin and inlet management. Uh

[19:07] next slide. So and then this is a tough

[19:10] thing and I just wanted to like

[19:12] highlight it. No action to most people

[19:15] means do nothing. The core no action

[19:18] means continuation of existing. It's it

[19:20] is a little confusing but so the no

[19:23] action alternative is just a

[19:25] continuation of what they're doing now.

[19:28] And that's the inlet management and

[19:30] beach nourishment by the town as

[19:32] currently authorized. There are some

[19:34] FEMA sponsored storm mitigation

[19:36] projects. Uh US Fish and Wildlife Cobra

[19:39] Zone can uh you know hinder some of

[19:43] that. the the core the Army Corps of

[19:46] Engineers is still and there's a project

[19:48] happening this winter where they dredge

[19:51] kind of the inter coastal waterway and

[19:52] the channels to Jacksonville and then

[19:54] place that material on the beach on the

[19:57] north end. It is averaging about 75,000

[20:00] cubic yards every two years and it

[20:02] really doesn't last long and that that

[20:05] but that is a core project and that's

[20:08] not a town project and they're they're

[20:10] going to continue doing that for pretty

[20:12] much all the alternatives and then you

[20:15] know right now no action m still

[20:17] maintaining existing uh sandbags and

[20:20] possibly you know placing new sandbags

[20:22] and I know some new sandbags have been

[20:24] placed and then you know periodic beach

[20:26] bulldozing following erosion events to

[20:29] repair dunes and BMS. Next, Ricky.

[20:33] Here's just some images from the no

[20:35] action.

[20:36] There's the beach fill. You know, we'll

[20:38] have a dune the and then this up here is

[20:41] kind of the beach burm and then we'll

[20:44] slope down into the water. Uh here's

[20:47] where the nourishment is and then here's

[20:49] where the the pivot channel is. And the

[20:51] original, it's hard to see, but in red

[20:55] that was the original channel. And so it

[20:57] it pivoted uh just just about 500 uh no

[21:01] 200 feet it pivoted and that is kind of

[21:04] the new channel where we're going to uh

[21:07] pull. And then here's just an image from

[21:09] the numerical bottling that pretty much

[21:12] shows you know it's it's a big it's a

[21:14] it's a big you know channel there. Uh

[21:17] and you can see kind of in the color

[21:19] coding the blue is dark and the yellow

[21:22] and reds are are are higher. So, yeah,

[21:25] the blue is deep. Uh, and then obviously

[21:28] we have the sandbag. Uh, it's about

[21:30] 3,600 feet of sandbags up there. Uh,

[21:33] they've been up there for, you know,

[21:35] over 10 years. Uh, they are doing a good

[21:39] job. They they made it from Matthew and

[21:41] some of the other store in Florence.

[21:43] They, uh, also held up pretty well. Uh,

[21:47] but obviously they're still ongoing

[21:50] maintenance all the time. Uh, okay. And

[21:53] then here's this image is just that

[21:55] quick with the Army Corps of Engineer

[21:57] project that they're doing this winter

[21:59] but and they're they're estimating the

[22:02] 100,000 cubic yards this winter. Okay,

[22:05] next slide, Ricky. And so this is

[22:07] alternative alternative two is the

[22:09] relocation and abandonment. Uh there's

[22:12] basically no in no inlet management or

[22:15] beach nourishment by the town there. The

[22:18] pivot channel will not be dredged.

[22:21] uh and then that you know maintenance of

[22:23] sandbags will still occur and you know

[22:25] obviously individual homeowners can do

[22:27] things to protect their property

[22:30] within KMA rules and obviously there's

[22:34] also abandonment of homes or relocation

[22:37] of homes and we can just next slide

[22:39] Ricky

[22:41] and so you know this is the north end

[22:44] the red line here

[22:47] that that's that's kind of the 30-year

[22:50] eroding erosion line, mean high water.

[22:53] Uh, and that kind of assumes that, you

[22:56] know, as soon as that sandbag reventment

[22:58] doesn't get placed, we're going to have

[23:00] the the higher mean high water shoreline

[23:03] erosion rates and it will just keep

[23:05] marching back farther and farther. And

[23:07] then there just some images of the

[23:09] sandbag structures up there and then but

[23:12] obviously the uh the Army Corps of

[23:13] Engineer inter coastal waterway dredging

[23:16] will still occur with this.

[23:19] Okay, next slide, Ricky.

[23:24] Okay, now we have alternative three,

[23:25] just beach nourishment only.

[23:29] No inlet management. Uh, and again that

[23:32] the core AIW in inter coastal waterway

[23:35] project still occurs. The available AR

[23:38] bar areas that for this plan is the

[23:41] offshore bar area, disposal area 143 and

[23:45] up sources which include the sand mines

[23:48] where the truck halls. Okay, next next

[23:50] slide.

[23:52] So again, here's just the the image of

[23:55] the beach and the disposal area 143 DA

[23:59] 143. You can see where North Topsel

[24:01] Beach is the north end and DA 143 is

[24:06] just, you know, pretty much up then

[24:08] that's Cedar Bush Creek up there. Cedar

[24:10] Bush Cut, sorry. And then the offshore

[24:13] barrier area, you know, as soon as you

[24:15] get onto the island, Highway, you know,

[24:17] 210, it's just kind of immediately south

[24:20] of that. It's it's, you know, about a

[24:21] mile offshore. It was compartmentalized

[24:25] uh by the previous consultant and uh it

[24:28] has not been used since that 2015

[24:31] nourishment.

[24:34] So this is EIS alternative 4. This is

[24:37] terminal groin and beach nourishment but

[24:40] there is no pivot channel in this and

[24:42] that will be the beach nourishment,

[24:44] terminal groin, no inlet management. Uh

[24:47] and then the available bar areas here

[24:49] are the same for alt three offshore

[24:52] disposal area 143 and upland sand mines.

[24:56] Okay, next slide Ricky. And here we have

[24:59] just a pretty much a sim very similar

[25:01] image with there's the pro here's the

[25:04] the this is the terminal groin here.

[25:07] This is the first one with the terminal

[25:08] groin. You can see it starts with a

[25:11] sheet pile stem up near the anchor and

[25:14] then out near over the water that will

[25:16] be you know large rock

[25:19] and then there's a profile of it with

[25:21] the the beach nourishment. The beach

[25:23] nourishment is going to be similar might

[25:25] it could be uh it's actually a little

[25:27] beefier because we know that terminal

[25:29] groin is there. Uh but this and then

[25:32] again there's no pivot channel here.

[25:35] Okay, next slide Ricky.

[25:38] And then this is alternative five. This

[25:40] is pretty the preferred alternative

[25:43] beach nourishment inlet management

[25:44] terminal groin. uh the term the so this

[25:48] includes the pivot you know the pivot

[25:50] channel for the bar area and as I

[25:53] mentioned before this is a reusable bar

[25:55] area where we'll fill and you know and

[25:58] basically the existing EIS has it's a

[26:01] pretty much agreed upon every four years

[26:05] this can be used again for for as a

[26:07] beach nourishment source

[26:10] okay Ricky

[26:12] next slide

[26:14] okay and this is just an image of that

[26:16] where you can see the uh the terminal

[26:18] groin's there. The beach nourishment

[26:20] because the terminal groin is there. The

[26:22] beach nourishment can be a little

[26:23] bigger. The dune can be a little bigger.

[26:26] Uh and then there you can see the the

[26:29] pivot just like alternative one with

[26:32] that pivot channel. You can see that and

[26:34] that was an image from the modeling and

[26:36] then just a few profiles of the terminal

[26:39] groin up top. And uh and I think the

[26:43] next slide Ricky I think is and then

[26:46] yeah that that was it. That's the the

[26:48] five alternatives that you know we're

[26:50] going to discuss and uh I'll just keep

[26:53] keep this everything moving forward.

[26:58] » All right. Thank you, Mr. Wei. All

[27:00] right. We've now reached the public

[27:02] testimony portion of this evening's

[27:03] hearing. As a reminder, please come

[27:05] forward to the center microphone

[27:07] promptly. When your name is called,

[27:09] state your name, your spelling, and any

[27:11] group affiliation for the court

[27:12] reporter. Your 3minut timer begins once

[27:16] you state your name. The timekeeper will

[27:18] display the yellow card of 20 seconds,

[27:20] and the visual timer will indicate uh

[27:23] when your time has expired. Uh we will

[27:26] begin first by calling our elected

[27:27] officials, followed immediately by

[27:29] registered members of the public in the

[27:31] order of which they signed in.

[27:34] All right, so up first we have uh Mr.

[27:36] Rick Grant, the North Topsel Beach

[27:38] mayor.

[27:42] » You can do the yellow card at one

[27:44] minute. I wasn't going to speak today

[27:46] and kind of deference to the people that

[27:48] showed up to speak in this thing and not

[27:49] take any time. Um, important step. Thank

[27:52] you for doing this. Thank you for

[27:54] hearing the hearing and I look forward

[27:55] to the comments that come in. Obviously,

[27:57] we support the beach and we have a lot

[27:58] of beach plans. So, thank you. [snorts]

[28:03] All right. Thank you, Mr. Grant.

[28:07] Kip Malcolm

[28:09] » In the crowd. I'd rather hear from them.

[28:11] Thank you.

[28:11] » All right. Fred Fontana.

[28:17] » Same.

[28:18] » He said no.

[28:19] » All right. No. Mark,

[28:23] » John Gunter.

[28:25] » All right.

[28:27] So, that brings us uh to the public

[28:29] comment portion to Miss Susan Meyer,

[28:32] who's first up.

[28:39] Hi, thank you uh Susan Meyer meer.

[28:43] » And I just wanted to say that I'm in

[28:46] favor of number five for maintaining the

[28:50] infrastructure

[28:52] for the roads, utilities, and the homes

[28:56] because if it takes the homes, it's

[28:58] going to take the road. and uh for the

[29:02] recreational reasons for the beach and

[29:05] for um turtle nesting

[29:08] and also um the reduction long term in

[29:12] all the renourishment that we're going

[29:14] to have to do if we don't do anything.

[29:18] And

[29:20] we already tried to straighten the inlet

[29:22] once, so I'm not sure how that's going

[29:25] to go. But thank you for your time.

[29:28] » Thank you.

[29:32] Carrie Allen.

[29:45] » Thank you. Good evening. My name is

[29:47] Carrie Allen and I'm with the North

[29:49] Carolina Coastal Federation. We care

[29:51] deeply about North Hopsville Beach and

[29:53] finding a long-term approach that gives

[29:54] this community the best chance to remain

[29:56] safe, accessible, and resilient. One

[29:59] thing that stood out in our preliminary

[30:01] review of the draft EIS is that

[30:03] nourishment alone appears to provide

[30:04] substantial protection. The draft EIS is

[30:07] a considerable document. We have not had

[30:09] the opportunity to fully evaluate all of

[30:11] the modeling and its underlying

[30:13] assumptions, but based on what we've

[30:14] reviewed so far, the four-year modeling

[30:16] indicates that nourishment alone

[30:18] provides substantial beef width beach

[30:20] width across the project area, while

[30:22] adding the terminal groin provides an

[30:24] incremental bit more. that incremental

[30:26] benefit must be considered alongside its

[30:28] cost. The draft EIS estimates that

[30:31] construction and maintenance of the

[30:32] terminal groin would cost cost

[30:34] approximately $18 million over 30 years.

[30:37] The nourishment and offshore borrow work

[30:39] associated with the groin adds another

[30:40] 67 million totaling roughly 85 million

[30:44] in direct project costs over 30 years.

[30:46] That's a significant long-term

[30:48] investment and our community deserves to

[30:50] understand not just what the groin is

[30:52] intended to accomplish, but what we are

[30:53] paying for and what we are getting in

[30:55] return. I also want to address a common

[30:58] misconception we've heard over the years

[31:00] that a terminal groin will somehow

[31:01] stabilize the inlet or solve navigation

[31:04] problems. These are two different

[31:05] issues. The draft EIS identifies

[31:08] navigation safety and channel showing as

[31:10] legitimate concerns, but the purpose of

[31:12] a terminal groin is erosion control, not

[31:15] navigation or safety. A terminal groin

[31:17] is not a jetty and is not designed to

[31:19] maintain a navigation channel. The plan

[31:22] already includes tools for managing the

[31:23] inlet and maintaining navigation,

[31:25] including channel management and

[31:27] dredging. So, it's important not to

[31:28] conflate the very real need to manage

[31:30] navigation with the separate question of

[31:32] how best to manage shoreline erosion.

[31:35] The question before the core is not

[31:37] whether North Topsel Beach has a serious

[31:38] erosion problem. It clearly does. The

[31:41] question is whether the incremental

[31:42] benefits of a permanent hardened

[31:44] structure justify its costs and effects

[31:47] on a dynamic inlet system when the draft

[31:49] EIS shows that nourishment alone can

[31:51] provide substantial protection and

[31:53] whether inlet management, adaptive

[31:55] approaches, and strategic decisions

[31:56] about vulnerable development can provide

[31:58] meaningful protection without

[32:00] permanently altering the inlet system.

[32:02] Thank you.

[32:05] Thank you, Carrie.

[32:08] Jake Derell.

[32:16] » Uh, good evening. Jake Derell speaking

[32:18] in support of alternative 5. Uh, my wife

[32:20] and I live here nearly halftime in

[32:22] [laughter] at Topsel Reef. I started a

[32:25] site called briefadvocate.com because I

[32:28] couldn't enjoy this beach and community

[32:30] as much as I do in one moment without

[32:31] worrying the next. The site helps people

[32:33] express why the north end is so

[32:35] important. In that process, a few things

[32:37] became clear to me that I think belong

[32:38] in the public interest discussion in the

[32:40] draft EIS.

[32:44] Uh first, um housing and lodging for

[32:46] active military, their families and

[32:48] veterans. We love giving families a

[32:50] place to connect when visiting loved

[32:51] ones at station uh stationed at Ljun. Uh

[32:54] my neighbors at the reef uh provide

[32:56] below market mid and long-term leases to

[32:58] active military and their families. A

[33:01] substantial portion of the reef is

[33:02] veteranowned or occupied. I believe if

[33:04] the core asked the HOAs would help

[33:06] gather more of this kind of data.

[33:09] Second, military connection or not, many

[33:12] wouldn't be able to afford the coast if

[33:14] places like the Reef or St. Regis didn't

[33:16] exist. Our unit, uh, like many, is south

[33:19] of 200 per night, much less in the

[33:21] offseason. Some reef units can sleep up

[33:23] to six or more. Elsewhere, that can cost

[33:25] over 400 per night. The draft EIS calls

[33:28] us a resort community. The reef is not a

[33:30] resort. We provide a basic bed and a

[33:33] tiny kitchen that affordably

[33:34] accommodates the human need to gaze out

[33:36] over the ocean. The core has to weigh

[33:39] the needs and welfare of the people.

[33:41] Coastal access is such an essential need

[33:43] that it was part of ancient Roman law

[33:45] that rolled into English common law and

[33:47] which North Carolina adopted. It's why

[33:49] we don't have private beaches here. In

[33:52] serving that need, most of us at the

[33:54] reef don't even cover expenses. The

[33:56] money goes back into the joist hangers,

[33:58] pilings, decks, and the sandbags, and

[34:00] then we do it all over again. If given

[34:02] the chance, we'll keep up being a

[34:03] steward of of this gateway to the ocean.

[34:06] Third, the the lower cost full-time

[34:09] housing at the North End, whether

[34:11] through rental or ownership, is critical

[34:13] to the local economy. County tax data

[34:15] shows that the reef and St. Reges carry

[34:17] more tax dollars per foot of beach than

[34:19] the single family blocks. The reef

[34:21] provides the most oceanfront homes per

[34:24] acre. That's teachers, service workers,

[34:26] and others here serving the area because

[34:28] of these more modest options. We need to

[34:31] keep making ownership possible. In my

[34:33] first attempt at a mortgage here, Navy

[34:35] Federal backed out last minute based on

[34:37] erosion concerns. Alternative 5 could

[34:39] help make financing homes more feasible.

[34:42] Finally, by making the coast accessible,

[34:44] we get people to care about the coastal

[34:46] wildlife and the environment. I honestly

[34:48] didn't care much about turtles before I

[34:50] started coming to the reef. Now I do. I

[34:53] I like alternative five because it gives

[34:55] turtlene a chance at the north end.

[34:57] Alternative five is lasting stewardship

[34:59] for the island and all its creatures.

[35:02] Thank you for the town for getting the

[35:03] discussion to this point and the court

[35:04] for listening.

[35:07] » Thanks Jake.

[35:10] Jenna Derell.

[35:18] » Hi my name is Jenna Derell. I also have

[35:22] a script. Thanks for your time tonight.

[35:25] I live with my husband Jacob um

[35:28] part-time at uh building 7 in Topsel

[35:31] Reef on the north end. Also commenting

[35:33] in support of alternative 5. On the day

[35:36] we closed in July 2022, I watched the

[35:39] ocean crash over the bottom stairs of

[35:41] our beach access and splash onto the

[35:43] first floor decks. Our complex was

[35:46] rebuilding the sandbag line and adding

[35:48] sand around our buildings, a project

[35:50] that cost us millions of dollars. In

[35:52] preparation for this meeting, I looked

[35:54] back on photos I've taken since we

[35:56] brought our unit. The new sandbag line

[35:59] looks so sturdy when it was first

[36:00] completed and protected us from

[36:02] Hurricane Ian and then Hurricane Nicole

[36:04] that fall, but unquestionably took a hit

[36:07] in doing so. In spring of 2023, the

[36:11] North End received more than 200,000

[36:13] cubic yards of sand in a single season.

[36:16] That summer, we could walk onto the

[36:17] beach at any time of day. We walked

[36:20] every morning picking up trash and

[36:21] looking for turtle tracks. And a couple

[36:23] times, we found them.

[36:26] That didn't last. By the spring of 2024,

[36:29] we were checking the tide charts again

[36:31] to see if we could reach the beach. By

[36:34] the fall, there was no beach at any

[36:35] tide. After a storm on election night in

[36:38] 2024, I went to the public access uh

[36:42] beach by Topsel Dunes and saw a whole

[36:44] swimming pool lying on the sand on the

[36:47] beach. A pool. It had washed half a mile

[36:50] from dolphin shores where pools,

[36:52] stairways, and beach accesses were

[36:55] destroyed. We lost part of our parking

[36:57] lot and gained another sandbag project.

[37:00] At that time, according to coastal

[37:03] engineer Fran Ray,

[37:05] our ongoing sandbag maintenance has been

[37:07] beneficial to us and our neighbors,

[37:09] allowing us to act as a headland. That's

[37:12] why a structure is needed. Nourishment

[37:14] alone, alternative three, is not enough.

[37:17] We've done it and I wash it wash away in

[37:19] about a year. Alternative five pairs

[37:23] nourishment with a terminal growing to

[37:24] hold the sand in place and with inlet

[37:27] management to address a channel that's

[37:28] driving erosion.

[37:30] I understand there are concerns about

[37:33] Enslow Beach and the inlet habitat. I'd

[37:36] ask the core to approve alternative 5

[37:39] with strong monitoring and clear

[37:40] triggers for corrective action if it

[37:43] impacts if impacts exceed what the DEIS

[37:47] predicts. We rent our unit at an

[37:49] affordable rate when we're not there.

[37:51] And our guest book is full of notes like

[37:54] we got to see the turtles or I can't

[37:56] believe I got to be at the beach for a

[37:58] week. and that's what's at stake. I want

[38:00] to close by mentioning the joy the north

[38:03] end brings to so many people. Please

[38:05] approve alternative five so that people

[38:07] can continue to enjoy the beach for

[38:08] years to come. Thank you. Thanks for

[38:11] your time and for doing this.

[38:13] [clears throat]

[38:14] » Thanks, Jenna. Terry Hardy.

[38:24] » Terry Hardy. I'm a full-time resident,

[38:27] North Topsel Beach, phase five, not the

[38:29] north end, but something has to be done.

[38:32] I'm in full support of phase 5. Uh, but

[38:35] I'm really here to read a letter from

[38:37] one of my neighbors. He could not be

[38:39] present.

[38:41] Uh, his name is Phil Pastino and he's

[38:43] the owner of the property located at 109

[38:46] South Bermuda Wind Drive, North

[38:48] Thompson.

[38:49] constructed his home in 2003. And

[38:52] although military service required he

[38:54] and his family to relocate out of state,

[38:56] he previously resided there full-time.

[38:59] And now that he's retired, they plan to

[39:01] move back full-time by the summer of

[39:04] 2028.

[39:06] He is an avid fisherman, recreational

[39:08] boater who regularly regularly uses New

[39:11] River Inlet. Over the years, he has

[39:14] witnessed firsthand both the benefits of

[39:16] channel dredging and realignment.

[39:19] As well as the continuing challenges

[39:21] associated with shoreline erosion, loss

[39:23] of beachfront access, and damage to

[39:25] private property to remain informed on

[39:28] these issues, he's attended many North

[39:30] Topsel Beach meetings whenever possible,

[39:33] but he has also followed uh closely

[39:36] discussions uh concerning the inland

[39:38] management, shoreline erosion, and

[39:39] mitigation factors. State leaders have

[39:42] finally enacted legislation and

[39:44] regulatory changes that allow for more

[39:47] permanent shoreline stabilization

[39:48] solutions, including approval authority

[39:52] for up to eight terminal groins. In his

[39:55] view, failing to pursue this opportunity

[39:57] would represent a mischallenge to

[39:59] implement a long-term solution to a

[40:01] problem that has affected the north end

[40:03] of North Thompson for decades. For this

[40:06] reason, he believes alternative five and

[40:08] at a minimum alternative four deserves

[40:11] serious consideration.

[40:13] Prior to submitting the com these

[40:16] comments, he thoroughly reviewed public

[40:18] available documents associated with the

[40:21] project through the Arma Army Corps of

[40:23] Engineers regulatory request system. In

[40:26] addition to the public notice, he uh

[40:29] reviewed 760 pages across the following

[40:33] documents. draft environmental impact

[40:36] statement. Uh the mass new river inlet

[40:39] master management plan north tops beach

[40:42] uh appendix A the public scoping

[40:44] comments the engineering and remodeling

[40:47] report the four-year model re-update and

[40:49] the effects of and the effects of the

[40:52] alternatives

[40:53] based on his review and his experience

[40:56] as a property owner and residents. He

[40:58] believes that he's well informed

[41:00] regarding the issues. He has a direct

[41:02] and substantial interest in mitigating

[41:05] the severe and chronic shoreline

[41:07] erosions that threatens residential

[41:09] structures, infrastructure, public res

[41:11] recreational act assets, and natural

[41:14] resources.

[41:15] As a resident and taxpayer, he strongly

[41:18] supports alternative five. Um the draft

[41:22] impact statement indicates that the

[41:24] total

[41:26] uh annualized cost of alternative one no

[41:29] action is approximately $ 8.4 million

[41:32] compared to approximately $1.38 million

[41:36] for alternative five.

[41:39] » Terry, thank you. Your time is expired.

[41:41] » Good enough. He thanks y'all.

[41:43] » Please please submit the the comments in

[41:45] writing. Uh you have the opportunity to

[41:46] do that. Thank you.

[41:49] Curtis Anden

[41:56] » Curtis Anders and DS resident in North

[41:59] Topsel Beach area. One thing that has

[42:02] been brought up, but I can guarantee you

[42:04] 90% of the people in this building right

[42:05] here will be able to tell you the

[42:06] history of North Topsel Beach. 34 houses

[42:10] were lost up there in front of the reef

[42:11] in the north po point that's no longer

[42:13] there. Used to be large dooms between

[42:16] them and the reef. Gone. walkovers. Two

[42:19] years ago, like the lady stated well

[42:21] ago, we had a full moon, an eclipse of

[42:24] the moon, a king tide, and a 4x3 tide

[42:27] hit the same night. And when it did, it

[42:30] took everything in dolphin shores all

[42:32] the way up to their pylons in the back

[42:34] of their house, swimming pools,

[42:36] walkovers, and everything. Mother Nature

[42:38] came and Mother Nature took. Okay. And

[42:41] now since then, we've had several full

[42:44] moons. St. Regencies got hit bad all the

[42:47] way up almost to their swimming pool.

[42:49] The Dolphin Shores got hit a hard again.

[42:51] Condo row as we call it. All lost their

[42:53] dunes. Thanks to that man right there,

[42:56] we got a dune reenourishment in place.

[42:59] Luckily, nothing came and hit us and we

[43:02] got them built. It's helping us. We put

[43:05] grass on it and help. It's shearing

[43:07] terribly bad right now as Fran can tell

[43:08] you right now because mother nature

[43:10] continues to come once a month full

[43:12] moons and takes. Okay. So, we're showed

[43:14] in the history of the northern point. If

[43:16] you'll go back and look, she's taken

[43:18] just like the Outer Banks, she's taken.

[43:22] Okay. Um, so I have seen it every day.

[43:25] People here see it every day. When we go

[43:26] to the beach, we see it every day. We've

[43:28] got to continue doing something. Whether

[43:31] it's going to be right, we in six years,

[43:32] we don't know. But five has got to be

[43:36] done. The two problems I do have is when

[43:39] that beach doom nur nourishment got

[43:42] done, we had people decide now we want

[43:45] to put our sandbags down. They dug the

[43:47] sand up that we paid for to dump on

[43:49] those dunes, put it in their sandbags

[43:52] and then dug the beach up and covered

[43:55] the the the bags up. It's wrong. We

[43:58] should had somebody totally supervising

[44:00] that project from st and saying no, you

[44:02] can't do this. you do it before was 18

[44:04] months. We knew before that you're going

[44:06] to do it right. Okay. The other part of

[44:08] it when we dump uh dumped the uh sand in

[44:12] from the pumping two years ago, a

[44:14] contractor there, I talked to him. I

[44:16] wanted to see his contract. His contract

[44:18] just stated just to level the piles of

[44:20] sand when it got out of the pipe. He

[44:23] built a football field four feet high in

[44:26] the middle between the reef and the

[44:28] point and left it. water washed around

[44:30] behind it under the houses and now you

[44:32] go up there like Fran said, you can't

[44:35] tell there was no no sand up there. So,

[44:37] that has to be supervised a lot better

[44:40] than what it was when we start

[44:42] renourishing the beach. But, I'm totally

[44:44] for number five. Let's give it all a

[44:47] shot. Let's get it because mother

[44:48] nature's going to take the north end if

[44:50] we don't do something. Thank you.

[44:53] [clears throat]

[44:53] » Thanks, Curtis.

[44:56] » Sam F.

[45:12] Good evening. Sam Ferrari, Fe R E R I.

[45:16] Uh, believe live on Seagull Lane,

[45:18] full-time resident. Um, my first comment

[45:21] has to do with the EIS report that says

[45:23] we're a resort community.

[45:25] I would say I would take some challenge

[45:28] to at least the north end of North

[45:29] Topsel. It is changing. There are a lot

[45:31] of full-time residents there. The

[45:33] numbers may be skewed by the couple of

[45:35] condos up there because they're pretty

[45:36] dense. But again, we have a lot of

[45:39] full-time residents that live here all

[45:40] year long and enjoy the beach, the

[45:43] ocean, the sound, and I think the safety

[45:46] that's required. I'm supportive of

[45:48] alternative five with a minimum of

[45:50] alternative four because uh I moved here

[45:53] from Florida, lived my whole life in

[45:55] Florida and saw beaches stop eroding

[45:58] when terminal groins were put in,

[46:00] especially on the West Coast Clearwater

[46:01] area. They were basically pumping sand

[46:04] and it was gone within two or three

[46:06] years once they put the groin in. Better

[46:08] fishing, um better lifestyle and less

[46:12] maintenance of that groin. I I don't

[46:14] know anything about the realignment of

[46:16] the the dredging of the inlet. I know

[46:19] the inlet is very close to the north

[46:21] topsel side versus the camp lune side. I

[46:25] would question that for safety. But

[46:27] again, I'm not an engineer. I I can't

[46:29] say that. But I think the sooner we can

[46:31] get the terminal growing, I think the

[46:33] better we'll be. So, keep my comments

[46:34] short. But thank you very much.

[46:38] » Thank you, Sam.

[46:41] Steve Harold Jr.

[46:53] Steve Harrell, H A R E L L. I am a

[46:56] full-time resident here, North Topsel,

[46:58] retired. I'm in one of the condos as a

[47:00] full-time resident. Uh, the one thing I

[47:02] would ask the board, I'm going to be

[47:03] really quick, is as we do an EPA

[47:04] assessment, I would ask them to consider

[47:07] what the damage to the environment will

[47:09] be if the homes and the condos end up in

[47:11] the ocean. So, when you take a look at

[47:14] the forever chemicals and the things

[47:15] like that that if we don't do this,

[47:18] where's your bigger damage? And that

[47:20] would be my one comment is look at what

[47:21] the environment once this happens

[47:23] because FEMA is not going to relocate.

[47:25] Their strategy at the moment is let it

[47:27] fall then we'll you pay for you but they

[47:30] won't move it they won't do anything so

[47:31] it always ends up in the ocean there

[47:33] other parts of North Carolina you can

[47:35] look at where this is occurring right

[47:36] now that's it thank you

[47:40] » Thanks Steve

[47:42] » Charles Walker

[47:53] Charles Walker 15 Seagull Lane, North

[47:56] Topsel Beach. My wife Kathy and I have

[47:59] been longtime visitors to Topsel Island

[48:03] our entire life. And you can look at

[48:05] these gray hair and that's been a while.

[48:07] Uh we've also been permanent residents

[48:10] since 2022.

[48:12] We are in favor of the all of the above

[48:14] approach

[48:16] um and the concept in option five. Any

[48:19] and all options should be considered in

[48:22] the securing and maintaining of the

[48:24] dunes and beaches on the entirety of

[48:26] Topsel Island. Hopefully within the next

[48:28] year and a year and a half to two years,

[48:30] we'll see the completed phases of one

[48:33] through three finished up to where the

[48:36] entire island will be protected by

[48:39] engineered beaches

[48:42] so that all of Topsel Beach will have

[48:44] engineered beaches. And if I'd just kept

[48:46] reading, we'd known that by having

[48:48] engineered beaches, my understanding,

[48:50] and Chris, you can back me up on this if

[48:52] I'm wrong, um any lost sand can and will

[48:55] be replaced. All of these projects

[48:58] working together should help protect our

[49:00] coastal communities in the distant

[49:02] future. And perhaps as a suggestion,

[49:05] when uh this year's Jacksonville Channel

[49:08] dredge project is done, perhaps the

[49:11] contractor can be allowed or at least

[49:14] instructed to start his pumping

[49:16] operations closer to the reef so that

[49:19] more more material might be available

[49:21] down towards the St. Regis and Topppsel

[49:23] Dunes area rather than just stopping at

[49:26] the reef which has happened the last

[49:28] couple of times. Just some things to

[49:30] consider. Thank you for your time.

[49:33] Thank you, Charles.

[49:36] Chris Gibson.

[49:43] » Good evening. My name is Chris Gibson.

[49:45] CH R I S Gibbs Oo N. Uh I'm a resident

[49:48] of Hamstead. Uh I'm also a coastal

[49:50] engineer that's worked with these towns

[49:52] up and down the island for several

[49:53] years. Many of you that may know my work

[49:55] know that I am one that is a proponent

[49:57] of soft solutions usually uh with my

[49:59] inlet management projects at Topsel

[50:01] Beach and at Mason's Inlet. However,

[50:03] North Topsel Beach is one of those

[50:04] places where a hardened structure is

[50:06] probably much more applicable because of

[50:08] the way the inlet behaves. Um we're

[50:11] looking at trying to avoid the sediment

[50:14] reversal that happens right around the

[50:15] inlet. uh you have the area uh currently

[50:18] the reefs act as a headland as someone

[50:20] mentioned before almost like a terminal

[50:22] groin in itself and we're dealing with

[50:24] properties that are beyond the terminus

[50:26] of an existing terminal groin. Um so

[50:29] when you look at that the long the

[50:31] impacts longshore uh further down the

[50:34] beach that may be of concern to people

[50:37] in southern North Topsel Beach, Surf

[50:38] City or Topsel, it just really isn't

[50:40] there. It's all in the sediment reversal

[50:42] inside the Esho uh dimensions. Um I am a

[50:46] proponent of doing all of the above

[50:48] scenario. I think that's a good way to

[50:50] do it. Inlet management, you have to

[50:52] look at all of these things

[50:53] holistically. You can't look at the

[50:54] beach separate from the inlet. You can't

[50:56] look at the inlet separate from the

[50:57] beach. There's navigation stuff that

[50:59] goes on that the core of engineers is

[51:00] doing. There are proposed uh changes at

[51:04] camp lune that may be bringing bigger

[51:06] vessels in here which is going to

[51:08] implement inlet management regardless of

[51:10] whether there's a terminal groin here or

[51:11] not. Uh that may in itself endanger the

[51:15] properties that are at the very north

[51:16] end. Um, one of the things that, um, I

[51:19] see in a terminal groin that is an

[51:20] advantage that many probably have not

[51:22] thought about is that the terminal groin

[51:24] extends all the way west of New River

[51:26] inlet Road. And while there may be some

[51:30] uh, loss of habitat or or u movement of

[51:33] habitat over onto the onslow beach side,

[51:36] one of the things it's going to do is

[51:37] dissuade swimming at at New River inlet.

[51:40] And that's something that we really need

[51:41] to see happen because we've had

[51:42] significant loss of life over the years

[51:45] from people swimming in that inlet. this

[51:47] structure will dissuade that and will

[51:49] probably save lives. So, um, thank you

[51:51] for your time.

[51:54] » Thank you, Chris.

[51:58] » William Snider.

[52:08] » Uh, good evening. My name is William

[52:10] Snyder. Snyder Der. Uh I'm the chairman

[52:14] of the Topsel Island Shoreline

[52:15] Protection Commission. I'm here on

[52:18] behalf of the commission in North

[52:19] Topsale Beach, one of three island towns

[52:22] that make up Topsile Island located in

[52:24] Enslow and Pender counties. The mission

[52:27] of the commission is to actively support

[52:30] and promote plans and programs to

[52:32] increase the island's resiliency and to

[52:35] support and promote development and

[52:38] execution of the North Carolina beach

[52:40] and inlet management plan.

[52:43] One of our primary purposes is to

[52:45] promote the routine maintenance of area

[52:47] navigation channels and the beneficial

[52:50] placement of the appropriate

[52:52] corresponding dredge spoils onto our

[52:54] beaches

[52:57] as examples of island resiliency

[52:59] projects that we support. Surf City just

[53:01] recently signed a project partnership

[53:04] agreement with the US Army Corps of

[53:06] Engineers that is leading up to a

[53:08] 50-year coastal storm

[53:11] risk management program. Topsil Beach

[53:14] has had an engine engineered beach since

[53:17] 2011.

[53:19] She has benefited from periodic beach

[53:21] nourishment and in maintenance projects.

[53:24] North Topsel Beach has conducted

[53:27] numerous beach and inlet management

[53:29] projects, but it is now clearly in need

[53:32] of inlet stabilization at its north end.

[53:36] As is pointed out in the draft EIS, the

[53:39] erosion rate at the north end of Topsel

[53:41] Island in the inlet hazard area has been

[53:43] as much as 240 ft per year. What were

[53:46] second row homes are now protected by a

[53:49] sandbag revetment.

[53:51] Only this partially destroyed re

[53:53] revetment is preventing catastrophic

[53:56] erosion under those 22 structures in 44

[54:00] residences.

[54:01] The commission supports the town's

[54:04] preferred alternative as described in

[54:06] the EIS. The construction of a terminal

[54:09] groin combined with beach nourishment

[54:12] and inlet management is to us the best

[54:14] long-term management option of those

[54:17] presented. Here's one of the one of the

[54:20] positive effects that we see. Property

[54:24] protection. The value of the property

[54:26] protected and the tax revenue obligated

[54:29] from 48 oceanfront properties and 779

[54:33] individually owned housing units that

[54:36] are at risk is in excess of $386 million

[54:42] for a 30-year planning cycle. It is

[54:44] estimated that in addition to initial

[54:46] construction costs, nourishment events

[54:48] every four years would cost

[54:50] approximately 58

[54:52] million dollars over the 30-year life.

[54:55] In conclusion, in 2011, the North

[54:58] Carolina General Assembly passed a law

[54:59] that allowed terminal groins at certain

[55:01] inlets, including Oregon Inlet, Ridg's

[55:03] Inlet, Cho inlet, and New River Inlet.

[55:06] Considering the increasing threats posed

[55:09] by climate change and sea level rise,

[55:11] now is the time to implement plans to

[55:12] better protect the north end of Topsel

[55:14] Beach. Tops Island. Thank you.

[55:16] » Thank you, William.

[55:19] » Uh Mike Benson.

[55:38] I'm Mike Benson, a resident at 220

[55:41] Oyster Lane, North Hubs Beach. I'm a

[55:43] past alderman here in the town and a

[55:45] current representative of Hopsville

[55:46] Island Fire and Protection Commission.

[55:49] My comments are in addition to those

[55:51] made on behalf of the commission, which

[55:53] of course I support. The town's

[55:56] preferred alternative described in the

[55:58] draft EIS to construct a terminal groin

[56:01] combined with beach nourishment and

[56:03] inlet management is to me the best

[56:06] long-term management option of those

[56:08] presented. Having lived behind the

[56:11] town's reetment for the past 11 years, I

[56:13] have seen each of these nourishment

[56:15] events unfold.

[56:18] We were so impressed with the initial

[56:19] results of the two uh 2012 2013 ebtide

[56:25] channel dredge project that put over

[56:28] 500,000 cubic yards of sand along our

[56:31] beach. We purchased our retirement home

[56:33] in 2014.

[56:38] As pointed out, however,

[56:40] the sand barely lasted a year, mainly

[56:42] due to dredging the six- foot deep

[56:45] authorized channel to a depth of 18 ft.

[56:49] This left an unnatural uh channel trench

[56:53] that quickly refilled from the strong

[56:56] downdrift uh current along the inlet

[56:58] hazard area shoreline. Thus in 200

[57:02] 20,000 2015

[57:06] the town was in a position to construct

[57:08] other revetment to protect the resulting

[57:10] threatened homes. The Army Corps's by

[57:13] annual dredging of the ICW at Cedar Bush

[57:16] cut and channelled to Jacksonville in

[57:18] the winter has deposed about 100,000

[57:21] cubic yards of beach quality sand placed

[57:24] in front of the town's revetment. This

[57:27] sand typically lasts uh through the

[57:30] summer but is eventually eroded away.

[57:32] There is no doubt in my mind that only a

[57:34] groin with inlet management beach

[57:36] nourishment will keep sand placed in the

[57:39] project area. One glaring emission in

[57:42] the draft EIS is a statement uh that the

[57:46] effects of sea level rise were

[57:47] considered in the 30-year predictions.

[57:50] Sea level rise experts

[57:59] predict that Topsel Island and the East

[58:02] Coast will experience a sea level rise

[58:04] of 1 foot by 2050.

[58:07] There is no clear statement in the draft

[58:09] EIS that sea level rise was considered

[58:11] as part of the 30-year predictions. In

[58:14] conclusion, all the evidence points to

[58:17] the need for a terminal groin with inlet

[58:20] management and beach nourishment. If we

[58:22] are protective property at the north end

[58:24] of North Topsel Beach shoreline, one

[58:28] only has to look to the successful Ocean

[58:31] Isle Beach terminal growing project

[58:33] completed in 2022 to see the benefits

[58:37] that terminal growing will bring to

[58:39] North Topsel Beach. Thank you.

[58:42] Thank you, Mike.

[58:45] » Jeffrey Wells.

[58:55] Good evening. I'm going to apologize

[58:56] right off the bat. I am not an ortor. I

[58:59] am a author and a writer and I do real

[59:01] estate, but I've lived on this island

[59:03] for nearly a decade. I own multiple

[59:05] properties in North Topsel Beach. Um,

[59:08] and I've written extensively on

[59:11] specifically

[59:13] dozens of articles on the shoreline

[59:14] erosion issue. Uh, the impact, the

[59:17] environmental impacts, um, the impacts

[59:19] that it has on our wildlife, sea

[59:21] turtles, nesting, nesting habitats, and

[59:24] I've also done it and written articles

[59:25] and published articles on the other

[59:27] side, the economic impact that it has on

[59:29] homeowners, the economy, tourism. We've

[59:32] all seen this island change over the

[59:34] last few years, especially since co.

[59:37] We've had a huge boom, a lot of new

[59:39] construction, people buying, moving

[59:41] here, people that didn't even know this

[59:43] island existed. Um, with that comes

[59:47] problems and we have to have financial

[59:50] resources and

[59:53] resources available to fix the problems

[59:54] that will keep people coming back.

[59:56] People will not come here if we have

[59:58] beaches that are 10, 15 feet wide. if

[1:00:02] there's areas where there's no beaches

[1:00:04] and they're getting literally risked of

[1:00:06] getting swept away in the water walking

[1:00:07] down the beach on the north end of the

[1:00:09] aisle just because they're walking along

[1:00:12] the beach and it's close to high tide.

[1:00:15] It's dangerous. It's an actual serious

[1:00:18] risk to people that come and visit this

[1:00:20] island that want to enjoy this island.

[1:00:22] Um, I've published too much on it. I'm

[1:00:25] not going to go into detail. I think

[1:00:26] there's a lot more people here than I

[1:00:27] expected to come and speak tonight. Um,

[1:00:29] I'm gonna say this.

[1:00:32] We've tried everything else. We've we've

[1:00:34] spent taxpayer dollars over and over

[1:00:35] again. We've watched them, as people

[1:00:37] have said before, wash away. We have a

[1:00:39] noraster potentially coming in right

[1:00:41] now, you know, coming in. That's again,

[1:00:43] we're going to stand by and watch and

[1:00:45] see the same thing happen. Erosion,

[1:00:48] you know, to the extreme detriment of

[1:00:50] the dunes, the island, the properties.

[1:00:53] Um, I think all the homeowners are just

[1:00:55] very frustrated and tired. And I think

[1:00:57] obviously option four, I've advocated

[1:00:59] for the terminal groin. I've worked for

[1:01:01] six years to, you know, repeal the

[1:01:03] legislative ban on hard and structures

[1:01:05] with Senator Zara and I've pushed that

[1:01:06] really heavily this year, lobbying. Um,

[1:01:10] I think something needs to be done and I

[1:01:11] hope that you do what's in the best

[1:01:13] interest of the island, the environment,

[1:01:15] and the homeowners and the community as

[1:01:16] a whole. I appreciate you getting you

[1:01:19] guys taking the time to listen to

[1:01:21] everyone, hear us, hear our thoughts,

[1:01:23] and you know, consider all of our

[1:01:26] opinions, our feelings, and all the

[1:01:27] options that are put forth. But I think

[1:01:30] the terminal groin is at very much at

[1:01:32] minimum a necessity at this point. So,

[1:01:34] thank you.

[1:01:37] » Thank you, Jeffrey.

[1:01:38] Julie Youngman.

[1:01:49] » Good evening. Um I'm Julie Youngman, Yo

[1:01:52] U NG M-N with um SEC. Um I'm still

[1:01:56] digesting the the DEIS, but um really

[1:01:59] appreciate the opportunity to come and

[1:02:01] speak tonight about one or more

[1:02:02] concerns. Um, at SCLC, we really care

[1:02:05] deeply about the long-term vitality of

[1:02:07] the coastal communities of the state.

[1:02:09] And I personally feel lucky to um have a

[1:02:12] friend with a one of the duplexes at the

[1:02:14] north end of the island north of the

[1:02:16] tiki bar. And so I got to stay there

[1:02:18] when the high tide was under the house

[1:02:20] and I got to stay there during a beach

[1:02:21] nourishment project and then I got to

[1:02:23] stay there after a beach nourishment

[1:02:25] project. So I I I feel deeply the the

[1:02:27] need to do something at the north end of

[1:02:29] the island. Um I'm not here to speak for

[1:02:32] or against any particular alternative

[1:02:34] but to identify issues that um I would

[1:02:37] encourage the core to study in in real

[1:02:40] depth um in light of you know somebody

[1:02:42] mentioned the ocean aisle beach uh

[1:02:44] terminal groin which is working out

[1:02:46] great for some people but there are

[1:02:47] people on the downdrift side that would

[1:02:48] say it's not the greatest success. So um

[1:02:51] I think there are things that need to be

[1:02:53] studied in in depth to make sure that um

[1:02:56] any solution that's selected works out

[1:02:57] for everybody. Um the modeling in

[1:03:00] appendix C shows that the benefits um of

[1:03:03] a terminal groin come with significant

[1:03:05] downsides. Um I'm just taking this from

[1:03:07] the appendix. I think it's um big

[1:03:10] changes to inlet channels, sediment

[1:03:12] transport patterns, shoreline

[1:03:14] orientation, shos, habitat for protected

[1:03:17] species and other wildlife. Um so the

[1:03:20] core needs to I would really encourage

[1:03:21] you to really study those in depth and

[1:03:23] not give any of them short shrift. Um, I

[1:03:26] would also say that a terminal groin may

[1:03:29] or may not be cost-effective if you

[1:03:31] think about um all the costs that one of

[1:03:33] the other commenters listed out in

[1:03:36] addition to all those uh the costs the

[1:03:38] kind of non-monetary costs of all those

[1:03:41] other um downsides identified in the

[1:03:43] DEIS. Um and again like just building a

[1:03:48] groin won't necessarily what will not

[1:03:50] eliminate the need for repetitive and

[1:03:52] expensive beach nourishment and inlet

[1:03:54] dredging projects. Um I would encourage

[1:03:56] the core to take into account the

[1:03:58] findings of the North Carolina Coastal

[1:04:00] Resources Commission. They just uh the

[1:04:02] the it's a collection of really smart um

[1:04:05] scientists uh from across the state and

[1:04:07] they issued this report called the

[1:04:08] effects of hard structures on sandy open

[1:04:11] co open ocean coastlines. Um the report

[1:04:15] says all structural approaches in placed

[1:04:17] with the intention of mitigating erosion

[1:04:19] by trapping the sand in place like

[1:04:21] terminal groins lead to the same

[1:04:23] inevitable impact an increase in

[1:04:25] shoreline erosion downdrift. So just

[1:04:28] keep remembering the people downdrift.

[1:04:30] The the c um the report concludes with

[1:04:33] um this statement. The science panel

[1:04:35] recommends that North Carolina maintain

[1:04:36] a cautious approach to any expansion of

[1:04:39] the use of hardened structures. Um,

[1:04:41] let's see. Like I mentioned before,

[1:04:43] Oceanell Beach, Buxton Beach is another

[1:04:46] um place where we can see the the

[1:04:50] downdrift effects of a a jetty. Um, I

[1:04:53] would just say you need to evaluate the

[1:04:54] cost. Uh, whether the additional width

[1:04:57] that a terminal groin will provide is um

[1:05:00] sufficient uh to justify the cost and

[1:05:03] just make sure you're studying hard all

[1:05:05] the effects of of everything. Thank you.

[1:05:06] » Thank you, Julie. Sorry.

[1:05:10] All right. All individuals uh who

[1:05:12] registered to speak have now been heard.

[1:05:15] Is there anyone present uh who

[1:05:16] registered to speak whose name was not

[1:05:19] called?

[1:05:21] Want to make sure we didn't miss

[1:05:22] anybody. All right. Seeing none, I want

[1:05:25] to reiterate that every oral statement

[1:05:26] made tonight has been recorded by our

[1:05:28] court reporter and will be included

[1:05:30] verbatim in the official administrative

[1:05:32] record. For those who wish to submit

[1:05:34] written comments or review the complete

[1:05:37] draft environmental impact statement,

[1:05:39] please refer to the screen uh and the

[1:05:41] handouts at the comment table outside.

[1:05:44] Emily Hughes's contact information. Um

[1:05:47] and the mailing address are provided

[1:05:49] there. As a final reminder, all comments

[1:05:51] on the draft EIS must be received or

[1:05:54] postmarked no later than Monday, October

[1:05:56] 19th, 2026.

[1:05:59] Thank you all once again for your

[1:06:01] attendance, your patience, your

[1:06:02] contributions to this regulatory

[1:06:04] process. Safe travels home this evening.

Untitled meeting

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