WILMINGTON, N.C. (WECT) – A state objection has thrown into question the timeline of a proposed deepening of Wilmington Harbor, with no completion date yet set as the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) and the NC State Ports Authority (NCSPA) review the challenge.
The objection, issued Feb. 24, came from the North Carolina Division of Coastal Management (DCM). DCM Director Tancred Miller signed the letter, citing two grounds: 1) that the USACE failed to supply sufficient information to evaluate consistency with North Carolina’s enforceable coastal policies, and 2) that the project would cause significant adverse impacts to coastal resources.
The USACE expressed disappointment with the objection, calling the challenge “disconcerting,” given that the project has been in development for nearly three-and-a-half years. The Corps said it had worked alongside state and federal resource agencies throughout the development of an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the project.
What the project proposes
The project would extend, deepen, and widen up to 35 miles of the Wilmington Harbor Federal Navigation System to accommodate larger commercial container vessels. The USACE’s preferred plan would deepen the channel from 42 to 47 feet and require excavating approximately 35 million cubic yards of material. A second alternative would deepen to 46 feet, requiring about 30 million cubic yards. Both alternatives include a new roughly nine-mile offshore entrance channel extension.
Why the state objected
DCM’s objection letter identified four areas of concern:…