A stormwater master plan was key to protecting the Town of Emerald Isle’s watershed infrastructure.
Located on Bogue Banks, the Town of Emerald Isle is a barrier island community. Emerald Isle’s Coast Guard Road watershed was developed in the 1980s, without any significant drainage infrastructure, and the area has depended on infiltration for stormwater management. After weathering annual coastal storms for about 15years, before development eventually outstripped infiltration capacity, the community was at the mercy of flooding caused by hurricanes, nor’easters, and heavy rainfall. The Town of Emerald Isle decided to act and partnered with Moffatt & Nichol to develop a comprehensive stormwater master plan to identify flooding prevention/reduction alternatives and guide public spending for the creation of a comprehensive stormwater management solution.
Moffatt & Nichol completed a study evaluating the feasibility of lowering of the groundwater table through pumping to increase the soil’s available water storage capacity. The system would counteract the lack of drainage structures in the subdivision’s original plan. Following the development of a stormwater master plan, Moffatt & Nichol provided final design, construction documents, and limited construction administration for phased construction of a groundwater lowering system combined with basins for surface water collection in targeted locations.
