Community Voices Shape Flood Solutions in North Carolina

Along North Carolina’s Scuppernong River which flows into Albemarle Sound, flooding is a persistent challenge, one that is expected to grow as sea levels rise faster than the global average and storms intensify. This collaborative effort supported by the North Carolina Reserve and funded by NOAA’s Digital Coast Connects program is ensuring that local voices are front and center in developing solutions.

In 2022, the Albemarle Commission Regional Council of Governments, Washington and Tyrrell Counties, the Albemarle-Pamlico National Estuary Partnership (APNEP) and other partners commissioned Kris Bass Engineering to conduct a watershed-scale study to identify flood-prone areas, model storm impacts, and test strategies to reduce flooding risk through a state funded Water Resources Development Grant. The missing piece? The input of community members with firsthand knowledge of how more frequent flooding impacts infrastructure and public safety.

In response, the Reserve teamed up with APNEP, North Carolina Sea Grant, the Nature Conservancy-North Carolina, and SWCA Environmental Consultants. Together, they convened local governments, agencies, residents, farmers, and civic leaders to share their knowledge and guide the study’s priorities and outcomes. 

“The real strength of this project has been the people who live here” said Whitney Jenkins, the Reserve’s training and engagement coordinator. “They know the land and the waters, and they know where and how flooding impacts their lives. Our role has been to use Digital Coast tools to help bring them to the table so their knowledge translates into real solutions.”

By mapping community members’ knowledge to specific places in the watershed, study engineers were able to show where the biggest problems are and adjust their modeling accordingly. The result? A set of actionable recommendations for the study’s steering committee to explore with local stakeholders. For local leaders like Tyrrell County Manager David Clegg, this balance of community knowledge and pragmatic tools is essential. 

“We appreciate the efforts of the engagement team, as they recognized the importance of local expertise and approached the study in pragmatic terms aimed at solving issues that threaten the region’s economies and ecologically and historically important lands,” says David Clegg, Tyrrell County Manager and steering committee member.

Now, local Digital Coast partners are exploring the study’s recommendations with community members—from culvert improvements and debris removal to innovative water-farming practices that help farmland temporarily store stormwater. New water-level sensors are also being installed, giving residents and emergency managers real-time data to better anticipate flooding.

Getting to action is also a goal of Digital Coast partners for whom shovel ready projects are a top priority.

“Because of historic ditching and draining, these large tracts of land no longer act as sponge when it rains,” says Jenkins. “Now that the water budget for the area is complete, the next step will be to pilot practices like berms, two-stage ditches, and floodplains that help the land hold and release water during storms to help build confidence in these approaches.”

“This project really demonstrates the complementary strengths of Digital Coast partners working with communities on the ground,” said Rebecca Roth, executive director of the National Estuarine Research Reserve Association (NERRA). “The Connects program is a vital source of funding that makes these linkages possible, helping partners with flooding expertise and communities take on challenges none could tackle alone.”Learn more about this North Carolina Connects Project and hear directly from community members at connects.nerra.org.