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Staff photo by Brian Freskos
Wrightsville Beach Town Manager Bob Simpson discusses Army Corp of Engineers dredging plans on Thursday, Nov. 12, during the board of aldermen meeting. |
Rhett and Julie Taber are seeking a possible injunction against the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ (the Corps) borrow plan to dredge sand from Banks Channel to renourish Wrightsville’s beaches. In a letter drafted by their attorney, Kurt J. Olson, PLLC, Raleigh, N.C., the Tabers claim that the dredging of Banks Channel has had a demonstrable adverse impact on the beaches fronting their property causing severe erosion.
The Tabers have owned contiguous lots at 902 and 904 Schloss Street with Banks Channel access adjacent to the U.S. Coast Guard Station Wrightsville Beach since November 1999. Olson’s letter states that they have called into question the Coast Guard’s dredging practices since 1998.
Wrightsville Beach Town Manager Bob Simpson said Rhett Taber had taken it upon himself to gain the support of the town’s individual board members to enlist the support of the Town against the Corps.
“I would encourage you,” Simpson said at the town’s board of aldermen meeting on Thursday, Nov. 12, “not to do so.”
Simpson said there is a very real possibility if the Taber’s injunction comes to pass the town’s beach renourishment plan may be in jeopardy. He said the Corps could pull the project and redirect its efforts elsewhere and said he was expecting a phone call on Friday afternoon, Nov. 13 with an update.
“We don’t know what the outcome would be. The outcome would either be--worse case--no renourishment for Wrightsville Beach; or whatever that is reduced by--how many cubic yards of sand it is reduced by--would reduce the renourishment for Wrightsville Beach,” Simpson said.
Olson’s letter states that the Corps’ periodic dredging practices in Banks Channel in front of the Tabers’ house caused impact to the beaches in front of their home.
“The Tabers have submitted a Freedom of Information Act request to the Corps to determine what studies have been conducted on the impact from the dredging, what alternatives have been considered and what mitigation, if any, has been proposed,” Olson states.
The letter also states that the Tabers and other property owners along Banks Channel have no complaint with beach renourishment and understand the public interest that necessitates the activity.
Olson is calling for environmental impact studies, public interest review of the project, whether there are feasible alternatives and what if any mitigation has been considered.
“We are informed,” Olson writes, “that similar issues have been identified in connection with dredging and beach renourishment projects at Topsail Beach and Bald Head Island and the Corps has moved the borrow area away from the shoreline so the impact to beaches and private properties would be mitigated.”
