WILMINGTON — The North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality’s Division of Coastal Management has received a deadline extension to submit its review of the US Army Corps of Engineers’ federal consistency request for the Wilmington Harbor 403 Project.
Originally to be completed by Jan. 5, 2026, the review deadline is now Jan. 19, 2026. The harbor deepening project is being proposed in New Hanover and Brunswick counties to allow for larger vessels to travel the Cape Fear River.
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ALSO: State extends comment period for Wilmington Harbor deepening project
The USACE submitted a federal consistency request for the Wilmington Harbor 403 Project, which has been met with concerns from neighboring towns and cities. In November, Southport passed a resolution urging the state and federal governments to ensure the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers more thoroughly consider impacts of the project, and include better mitigation efforts into their plans and upkeep management more robustly.
A federal consistency review by the DCM checks whether the proposed project meets the enforceable policies of the North Carolina Coastal Management Program to the maximum extent possible; it is required under the Coastal Zone Management Act, passed in 1972. The DCM can object, concur, conditionally concur or agree, to the project; conditions generally include caveats like additional mitigation plans.
Should the DCM object to the proposal, it will either be rejected or a resolution can be negotiated.
The DCM originally extended its public comment submission period for the Wilmington Harbor 403 project from its original end date of Dec. 5 to Dec. 20. Before that, on Nov. 17, DCM hosted a public hearing in Wilmington and received more than 20 comments out of the around 50 participants.
More information about the review process can be found on NCDEQ’s website, and those who want to be informed of the decision may send a message here, with the subject line “Federal Consistency: USACE Wilmington Harbor 403 Navigation Project Decision.”
To learn more about the harbor deepening, USACE’s has published its Draft Environmental Impact Statement here.
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