{"id":4685,"date":"2014-03-01T17:54:00","date_gmt":"2014-03-01T22:54:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/ncseagrant.ncsu.edu\/coastwatch\/?page_id=4685"},"modified":"2024-08-27T14:47:10","modified_gmt":"2024-08-27T18:47:10","slug":"around-the-next-curve-report-considers-estuarine-shoreline-management-strategies","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ncseagrant.ncsu.edu\/coastwatch\/around-the-next-curve-report-considers-estuarine-shoreline-management-strategies\/","title":{"rendered":"AROUND THE NEXT CURVE: Report Considers Estuarine Shoreline Management Strategies"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n\n\n\n

North Carolina\u2019s thousands of miles of estuarine shoreline \u2014 edging sounds, bays and other areas where fresh and salt waters meet \u2014 are known for their rugged beauty and bountiful wildlife. But as more people move to this inner coast, the region is increasingly experiencing pressures associated with development.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A new report, released by North Carolina Sea Grant<\/a> and the N.C. Coastal Resources Law, Planning and Policy Center<\/a>, outlines issues the region will face in the next five years and provides options for managers and property owners.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe goal of this research was to be forward thinking. We hope the information in the final report provides natural resource agencies, the Environmental Management Commission, Coastal Resources Commission and coastal communities with a snapshot of the resource issues that will become increasingly important to coastal North Carolina,\u201d explains Lisa Schiavinato, Sea Grant coastal law, policy and community development specialist, who also co-directs the Center.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe report can assist state and local governments as they plan for the future, and prepare to face challenges that may affect coastal economies and resources,\u201d she adds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The report, Management Strategies for North Carolina\u2019s Estuarine Shoreline<\/a><\/em>, is the result of more than three years of study of emerging management and policy issues for the entire North Carolina coast.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Estuarine Policy Steering Committee included experts from state agencies, universities and nonprofit organizations, who provided scientific and technical expertise and worked with the Center to develop policy recommendations. See page 14 for a list of members and their affiliations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe committee\u2019s work was an excellent example of collaboration,\u201d says John Fear<\/a>, now Sea Grant deputy director and who had served as a committee member while he was with the N.C. Coastal Reserve Program.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cStaff from state agencies, NGOs and universities worked together to identify the issues and develop recommendations on how best to deal with those issues. I look forward to seeing aspects of the report being utilized.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This report follows Developing a Management Strategy for North Carolina\u2019s Coastal Ocean<\/a><\/em>, which focused on current and emerging ocean policies. Sea Grant and the Center received requests from the public to conduct a similar study for the state\u2019s estuarine shoreline.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the estuarine study, four emerging resource issues are highlighted for coastal counties and municipalities near North Carolina\u2019s estuarine shorelines. They are: water availability, estuarine shoreline stabilization, monitoring and enforcement of environmental laws, and sanitary sewer overflows.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

North Carolina\u2019s estuarine system consists of approximately 23 inlets, about 12,000 miles of estuarine shoreline, and more than 3,000 square miles of brackish-water estuaries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

These areas include communities often referred to as the state\u2019s Inner Banks. Some are currently seeing rapid growth while others are looking for economic development options. They also may be coping with related issues, including habitat degradation, water quality and quantity considerations, erosion and land loss, aging infrastructure, and conflicts over access.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

An executive summary of the report, printed on pages 12 to 14, also is available at North Carolina Sea Grant executive summary<\/a>. The complete report is at North Carolina Sea Grant executive summary<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

MANAGEMENT STRATEGIES FOR NORTH CAROLINA’S ESTUARINE SHORELINE
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY FROM THE REPORT OF THE ESTUARINE POLICY STEERING COMMITTEE<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Full report available at North Carolina Sea Grant<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

From 2007-2009, the North Carolina Coastal Resources Law, Planning and Policy Center<\/a>, North Carolina Sea Grant College Program<\/a> and North Carolina Division of Coastal Management<\/a> (DCM) partnered to study emerging issues for managing the state\u2019s ocean shoreline. This study was known as the Ocean Policy Study. This two-year effort, which included input from a statewide steering committee and the public, resulted in a final report that was submitted to the North Carolina Coastal Resources Commission<\/a> (CRC). The Ocean Policy Study\u2019s final report, \u201cDeveloping a Management Strategy for North Carolina\u2019s Coastal Ocean<\/a>,\u201d identified five major emerging issues \u2014 sand resource management, renewable energy development, ocean outfalls, marine aquaculture and comprehensive ocean management \u2013 and developed policy recommendations for each issue. During the Ocean Policy Study, the Center received requests from the public to conduct a similar study for the state\u2019s estuarine shoreline. This study is the outcome of those discussions, thus completing a comprehensive study of the emerging management and policy issues for the entire North Carolina coast.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

North Carolina\u2019s estuarine, or inner coastal, system consists of approximately 23 inlets, approximately 12,000 miles of estuarine shoreline, and more than 3,000 square miles of brackish-water estuaries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"sanitary<\/a>
Aging infrastructure is resulting in overflows from sanitary sewers, those posing a multitude of problems. Photo courtesy U.S. EPA.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

These areas are rapidly developing, and the communities along the coast\u2019s \u201cinner banks\u201d are experiencing the impacts. Issues such as habitat degradation, water quality and quantity, erosion and land loss, aging infrastructure, and conflicts over access are a few examples. Estimates for global sea level rise (SLR) vary, but locally, SLR may be higher or lower due to factors such as subsidence, sediment compaction or uplift. Coastal areas may experience one or more of the following consequences of SLR: (1) increased levels of flooding; (2) increased erosion; (3) loss of wetlands and other coastal habitats; (4) invasion of saltwater into freshwater sources; (5) increased economic losses due to flooding and storm damage; and (6) damage to and loss of infrastructure. Other groups, such as the Albemarle-Pamlico Conservation and Communities Collaborative<\/a>, reported that North Carolina is expected to be one of the major three areas in the U.S. most affected by SLR because more than 2,000 square miles of the coast is less than three feet in elevation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In response to the issues presented by subsidence and any rise in sea level, and in order to protect life and property, property owners along the estuarine shoreline are resorting to hardening their shoreline.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In addition, local governments are considering solutions to protect infrastructure from flooding and coastal change. Developing and implementing solutions require careful examination of the science and the legal and policy obstacles that are in place. This study will add to the discussions already taking place at the state and local levels and in the homes and businesses of those living on the coast.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The three major objectives of this study were to: (1) identify the emerging natural resource issues that will impact North Carolina\u2019s estuarine coastline for the next 15-20 years; (2) provide technical information on the factors associated with them; and (3) recommend management strategies on how the state may address the issues.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To assist the Center, a steering committee was convened to provide technical expertise and to work with the Center to develop policy recommendations. This steering committee was comprised of 17 members from state agencies, the private sector and academia.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Together, the Center and steering committee identified four emerging resource issues for the coastal counties and municipalities near North Carolina\u2019s estuarine shoreline areas. These areas are referred to as the \u201cinner coast\u201d throughout this report to distinguish them from the oceanfront shoreline areas of North Carolina that were the focus of the Ocean Policy Report.<\/p>\n\n\n\n