N.C. Coastal Resources Commission approves septic rule changes, flood disclosure

From CoastalReview.org Advocates say would-be homebuyers and current oceanfront property owners in North Carolina have long needed clearer rules and updated information as climate change increases the risks of damage and flooding. Two unrelated, but long-sought actions taken last week by the North Carolina Coastal Resources Commission seek to clarify two persistent issues: septic systems […]

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Solutions are few for imperiled oceanfront homes, per virtual workshop meeting

It’s been more than a year since the first oceanfront house, standing on an eroded beach within Cape Hatteras National Seashore, collapsed into the ocean in the early morning on Feb. 9. Two more nearby houses fell in May. Each time, tons of construction debris — jagged, sharp, toxic, ugly — were carried for miles by […]

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Miss Katie dredge on track to work in Hatteras Inlet by February

As mariners look ahead to the spring fishing tournament season, the Dare County Waterways Commission is hopeful that maintenance issues in Hatteras Inlet finally can be addressed in a timely manner. “We don’t want to wait until the last minute,” Commission Chair Steve “Creature” Coulter said at Monday’s meeting in Manteo. “We want it fixed […]

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Hatteras Inlet channel maintenance made simpler: Go with the flow

From coastalreview.org As it turns out, long-sought flexibility in maintenance of essential Hatteras Inlet navigation channels didn’t take an act of Congress. It boiled down to a much simpler concept: go-with-the-flow realignment. But with the finalized expanded authorization to dredge Rollinson Channel, it may seem like a Christmas miracle for islanders now relieved of navigating a […]

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1898 Oregon Inlet Life-Saving Station must go, but where?

The Old Oregon Inlet Life-Saving Station is one of the most beautiful historic buildings on the Outer Banks, situated at a dramatic coastal location that would befit a movie setting. But it’s got to go. Where and when and to whom is what the North Carolina Aquariums — the building’s current owner — is trying to figure […]

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Underwater power lines cause another delay in finalizing Hatteras Ferry Channel realignment

Underwater power lines crossing Hatteras Inlet’s Connector Channel have created another delay in finalizing the realignment of the Hatteras Ferry Channel, also known as the Rollinson Channel. Shortly before Oct. 24, when the Army Corps of Engineers was expected to sign off on the draft Environmental Assessment (EA), the agency decided that it needed more […]

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Outer Banks community pays tribute to writer and fishing advocate Susan West

Susan West, a long-time advocate for the Hatteras Island fishing community and a writer who helped foster improved communications and respect between regulators and fishermen, died last week at age 73. “She made sure that Hatteras and those small fishing communities were never left out of the conversation,” recalled Karen Willis Amspacher, director of the […]

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A cycle of septic repairs, washouts on park service beaches

First in a series. RODANTHE — Nothing good can be said about septic tanks leaking their foul contents onto a public beach. It sounds even worse that it’s within a national seashore on the Outer Banks renowned for its beautiful, clean beaches. That unfortunate reality illustrates the challenge adapting to rising seas under outmoded policies […]

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