Army to source Masonboro Inlet for Wrightsville Beach renourishment project

WRIGHTSVILLE BEACH, N.C. (WECT) - The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Wilmington District is no longer planning to finalize an environmental assessment and plans to use the Masonboro Inlet/Banks Channel as a borrow source for renourishment in Wrightsville Beach.

Per an announcement on Saturday from the Town of Wrightsville Beach, the Corps had begun an assessment to look at borrow area alternatives for the emergency repair but decided to use the inlet as opposed to an offshore borrow source. The inlet has historically acted as a borrow source for renourishment projects.

“The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Wilmington District (Corps) has determined, based upon a case-by-case analysis of the conditions at Wrightsville Beach, to exercise Coastal Barrier Resources Act emergency exception 5(a)(3) and utilize the Masonboro Inlet/Banks Channel borrow source instead of an offshore borrow source for the upcoming emergency repair (renourishment),” the announcement states.

The contract is set to be solicited in the summer, and construction would take place between Nov. 16 and March 31. The inlet has been the historic borrow source for the project, so any needed environmental clearances are already in place.

“The Corps will conduct all construction activities in accordance with the Final Integrated Validation Report and Environmental Assessment dated November 27, 2019 and will coordinate with applicable resource agencies throughout the project, as we always do,” the announcement continues.

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