North Wake News

The North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) has released a report titled "More Resilient by Design: North Carolina’s Flood Resiliency Blueprint." This document outlines significant progress in flood resilience projects across the state, focusing on six priority river basins. The DEQ has allocated $22 million for these initiatives and has completed the Draft Flood Resiliency Blueprint along with the Draft Neuse River Basin Action Strategy.

The report emphasizes ongoing and future strategies to make North Carolina more resistant to flooding, aiming to minimize impacts and costs associated with future floods. DEQ Secretary Reid Wilson stated, “We must raise our sights beyond immediate recovery and focus on rebuilding more resiliently, because we know these storms will keep coming.”

In 2024, the DEQ began collaborations with state agencies and local governments to start flood resilience projects that align with the Blueprint's criteria. These efforts resulted in 54 projects valued at over $40 million, funded by $22 million from the Blueprint program. Additionally, an extra $56 million has been committed for future investments.

DMS Director Marc Recktenwald highlighted the targeted approach of these investments: “One of the critical missions of the Blueprint was to develop a targeted approach to flood resiliency investments.” He noted that these projects signify initial state investments based on this strategic framework.

The Blueprint continues to enhance existing flood modeling tools for better risk estimation and is developing a decision support tool for informed decision-making regarding flood resilience. This tool is set for public release in Spring 2025 after successful testing by stakeholders.

Moreover, River Basin Action Strategies are being developed for all six priority basins: Cape Fear, Lumber, Neuse, Tar-Pamlico, White Oak, and French Broad. These strategies are supported by comprehensive data and information.

The ultimate aim of the Blueprint is to establish a statewide program encompassing all 17 river basins in North Carolina.

In 2021, the North Carolina General Assembly directed the DEQ Division of Mitigation Services to create this statewide Flood Resiliency Blueprint. The goal is to enhance North Carolina's resilience against flooding disasters by implementing science-based planning and actionable projects.