OAK ISLAND — Due to storm damage affecting coastal areas, including one Brunswick County beach town, the state’s water division is awarding $9 million to help with renourishment efforts.
READ MORE: Oak Island strengthens restrictions on digging holes on beach
The N.C. Department of Environmental Quality’s Division of Water Resources (DWR) awards will benefit five projects in coastal North Carolina. It will go toward dune and beach resiliency needs.
Included in the payout is $3 million for Oak Island beach renourishment. The other towns awarded from the Coastal Storm Damage Mitigation Fund include:
- Dare County: Buxton nourishment, $3.6 million, and Avon Beach nourishment, $2 million
- Carteret County: Bogue Banks 2025-2026 beach nourishment design, $663,537
- Currituck County: Beach management plan, $120,568
The applicants are matching state grant funding with more than $44 million in local government funds.
“The coastline is one of our state’s natural treasures and serves as the livelihood of many communities in eastern North Carolina,” Gov. Josh Stein said in a release. “These grants will help preserve our state’s beauty, protect people’s livelihoods, and keep communities safe.”
DWR’s Coastal Storm Damage Mitigation Fund is funded by the N.C. General Assembly through Session Law 2023-134 for costs associated with beach nourishment, artificial dunes and other projects to mitigate or remediate coastal storm damage to the ocean beaches and dune systems of the state. For more information, see General Statute 143-215.73M and 15A NCAC 01T.0300.
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