N.C. Coastal Resources Commission meets Wednesday in Manteo

From Wobx.com

The N.C. Coastal Resources Commission will meet this week on Roanoke Island, where the commission is scheduled to continue discussing updates to CAMA regulations on septic tanks on oceanfront properties.

The meeting will take place Wednesday, April 26 beginning at 9 a.m. at the Dare County Government Complex, 954 Marshall C. Collins Drive, Manteo.

A public input and comment period is scheduled for noon. At the chair’s discretion, comments may be limited to three minutes per person.

The commissioner has been discussing problems arising from oceanfront septic tanks at their last several meetings, spurred by the collapse of multiple homes and failures of numerous systems in northern Rodanthe since 2021.

Multiple votes have been postponed by the commission on placing stricter limits on new systems and repairing damaged systems to allow more discussions amongst Coastal Division staff, local, state and federal officials, and affected property owners.

Coastal Review reports the commission is also expected to consider adopting rules on floating upweller systems used in shellfish aquaculture, structures known as FLUPSYs

FLUPSYs, which include floating tanks that allow water to flow through, act as incubators to protect baby shellfish from predators until they grow big enough to survive on a shellfish lease.

With this amendment, FLUPSYs would be considered floating structures and only permitted as a platform at a private docking facility or a permitted marina.

The amendment includes platforms in the calculation of square footage of shading impacts and clarifies that FLUPSYs are part of the allowance of shading impacts associated with docking facilities. Shading impacts are when a structure, like a dock or floating platform, prevents sunlight from reaching underwater plants. When that happens, plant production can be diminished.

FLUPSYs are different than the floating processing facilities and platforms at a shellfish lease site that the CRC considered last year. In September, they decided to keep the existing rule that would deny permitting floating structures in open waters, though the applicant has the option to submit a variance request.

Agenda items for the commission’s meeting include:

• Area of Environmental Concern (AEC) nomination procedures; Gibbs Creek Watershed AEC nomination
• Discussion of Science Panel Scope of Work – Oceanfront Erosion Rate Method & Inlet Hazard Areas
• Discussion of Exception for Lots Platted Post-1979 7H .0309
• Discussion of Proposed Amendments to 15A NCAC 07H .0305; 7H .0306 – Septic Tanks Seaward of the Vegetation Line
• Consideration of Proposed Permit Fee Increases
• NC Coastal Resiliency Program Update
• Consideration of Approval of Fiscal Analysis – General Permits Time Extension & Correction to 15A NCAC 7H .02300
• Comments and Consideration of Adoption of Amendments to 15A NCAC 7K .0207 & 7H .0308 Structural Accessway – Beach Mats
• Comments and Consideration of Adoption of Amendments to 15A NCAC 7M .0600 Floating Structure Policies & 7H .0208 Piers and Docking Facilities – Floating Upweller Systems
• Report on Rules Review Commission Actions

The Coastal Resources Advisory Council (CRAC) will meet at 3 p.m. on Tuesday, April 25 at the same location.

For a full agenda packet for both meetings, click here.