Ted Wilgis – Cape Fear Coastkeeper
North Carolina Coastal Federation
Citizens Working Together for a Healthy
Coastal Environment
Education
Students and Teachers
• Field trips,
• Classroom curriculum,
• Teacher training,
• Wetland nursery program
• Oyster restoration activities
Public
• Workshops
• Publications
• Stewardship activities
Restoration & Preservation
North River Farm - Wetland Restoration
Advocacy & Enforcement: Coastkeeper Program
Cape Fear, Cape Lookout
and Cape Hatteras
Coastkeepers
Work w/ other NC Keepers
Cape Fear River, New River,
Neuse
Advocacy – environmental
enforcement and compliance
Education and empowerment
Monitoring
Restoration
North Carolina’s Coast
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Miles of ocean beaches: 320
Miles of estuarine shoreline:
over 4,000
Acres of sounds, creeks and
marshes: 2 million-plus
# of river basins draining to the
coast: 8
# of NC counties & sq. miles
that drain to the coast: 70 &
32,311 sq. miles
% of East Coast commercial
fishery species that depend on
NC’s estuaries: 50-70%
What Is CAMA?
The Coastal Area Management Act, or
CAMA, is the state law that balances
development with environmental protection
along North Carolina’s coast.
 CAMA established Areas of Environmental
Concern, areas that are subject to natural
hazards or have environmental, social,
economic or aesthetic significance.
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CAMA Timeline
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1972: Federal Coastal Zone Management Act
1974 – State Coastal Area Management Act
(CAMA)
1978 – Feds approve state program
CAMA Workings
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Affects 20 coastal
counties
Rules developed by
Coastal Resources
Commission (CRC)
Administered by
Division of Coastal
Management (DCM)
Coastal Resources Commission
The 15-member CRC, appointed by the Governor,
establishes policies for the N.C. Coastal Management
Program and adopts implementing rules for both
CAMA and the N.C. Dredge and Fill Act.
The commission designates areas of environmental
concern (AECs), sets policies and adopts rules for
coastal development within AECs, certifies local landuse plans, and hears permit variance requests and
appeals.
NC Division of Coastal Management
action items:
Permitting and Enforcement
 Federal Consistency
 Land Use Planning
 North Carolina Coastal Reserve
 Waterfront Access Sites
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“Development”
“Any activity … . . involving, requiring or
consisting of construction or
enlargement of a structure; excavation;
dredging; filling; dumping; mining;
bulk heading; driving pilings; clearing
or alteration of land as an adjunct of
construction; alteration or removal of
sand dunes; alteration of the shore,
bank or bottom of the Atlantic Ocean or
any sound, by, river, creek, stream, lake
or canal.”
Areas of Environmental Concern
(AEC)
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Estuarine waters and public trust areas
Estuarine shoreline: 30 ft. or 75 ft. from mean
high water, 575 ft. from ORW
Coastal wetlands
Ocean hazard areas: ocean beaches, areas near
inlets, behind the dunes
Public water supplies
Natural and cultural resource areas
Coastal Shoreline Rules
Basic Standards
Less than 30% impervious coverage along
Coastal Shoreline AECs, innovative
stormwater systems acceptable (75’ AEC)
 Less than 25% impervious coverage along
ORW coastal shoreline AECs, stormwater
systems not allowed (575’ AEC)
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Permit Types
 Major Permits: 10
state and four federal
agencies must review
 General Permits:
Projects that usually
pose little or no threat
to the environment
 Minor Permits:
Projects that don't
require major permits
or general permits
Major Permits
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Another state or federal
permit, license or
authorization
Excavation or drilling of
natural resources
Construction of one or
more buildings that cover
more than 60,000 sq. ft. on
a single parcel
Alteration of more than 20
acres of land or water
Beach Fill – Nourishment &
Inlet Alteration
“Piecemealing”
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Breaking major projects in smaller pieces to avoid
major CAMA review
Cumulative environmental effects of a projects
are minimized
Example The Peninsula of Surf City
Reviewing Permits
Public process, public documents
 Required notice in local newspaper
 30-day comment period
 Getting there before the ‘dozers
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Buffers
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CRC passed rule in 2000
30 feet from normal high
water
Affects only new
construction
Only “water-dependent
structures” – docks, boat
ramps
Vegetation can be trimmed,
cut
Utilize and protect natural vegetative
buffers – The Good
…the Bad and the
Ugly
Marinas
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Can alter shoreline,
pollute water
Must accommodate at
least 10 boats
Rules encourage upland
sites
Open water sites should
avoid dredging and can’t
close shellfish waters
Example: McGinnis Point
Marina Development
New marinas located within public trust
waters will require initial review through
the NC State Environmental Policy Act
(SEPA) process.
The outcomes of the Environmental
Assessment would be either a Finding of
No Significant Impact (FONSI) or an
Environmental Impact Statement (EIS).
Land-Use Plans
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One of CAMA main requirements
Collection of policies that serve as a community’s
blueprint for growth
Updated every 5 years
Public participation required, critical
No CAMA permits if inconsistent with plan
Can be useful enforcement tool: Cape Lookout
Marina, Gallants Channel bridge
Coastal Wetlands
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Any project involving land
disturbance or construction
adjacent to or within any
type of wetlands should be
reviewed by a DCM or
USACOE representative.
Remember that the EMC’s
50 ft. buffer in the Neuse and
Tar-Pamlico River Basins is
measured from the landward
edge of coastal marsh.
Typical Problems
Routine aerial surveillance flight
revealed spoil behind the house in what
appears to be coastal wetlands.
Division of Coastal
Management Website
http://www.nccoastalmanagement.net
Issues Facing NC’s Coast
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Explosive Population
Growth
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Development &
Infrastructure Pressures
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Loss of Coastal Habitats and
their Buffering Capacities
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Stormwater Control and
Run-off
Loss of Coastal Habitats
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Over 50% of coastal plain
wetlands in NC have been lost
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12,000 acres of wetlands
ditched & drained under the
Tulloch exemption in 1998
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Approximately 30 miles of
estuarine shoreline habitat is
lost each year due to hardening
(bulkheads, rip-rap)
Amount of Pavement = Health of Receiving
Waters
From UNCW – Mallin et al
Effects from
Stormwater
Runoff
• Closed shellfishing
areas
• Swimming advisories
• Algal blooms
• Fish kills
• Flooding & property
damage
One local story - Howe Creek
1984
2000
Opportunity Lost ? South Brunswick Water & Sewer Authority
Point Source Pollution - NPDES
Chronic Violators
Aging Infrastructure
Beach Nourishment and Inlet Manipulation