After a decade of study, and considerable pushback over environmental concerns, the N.C. State Port Authority is asking the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to suspend plans to dredge the Cape Fear River basin at the Port of Wilmington.
As first reported locally by the Greater Wilmington Business Journal, the NC Ports Executive Director Brian Clark wrote a letter to Dennis “Lee” Forsgren, the senior official performing the duties of Assistant Secretary of the Army for Civil Works, on September 18, asking to stop plans for the dredging project.
“I write to request the US Army Corps of Engineers suspend further consideration of the Wilmington Harbor Navigation Expansion Project and associated Wilmington Harbor 403 Letter Report Activities. Additionally, I request that your office suspend additional consideration of the pending Record of Decision as outlined in the project scope and timeline,” Clark wrote.
For a decade, NC Ports has explored deepening the Wilmington harbor. The $1.3- billion plan involves dredging roughly 28 miles of the Cape Fear River — essentially from the river’s mouth to the port — from 42 feet to 47 feet, making it more accessible to the largest class of shipping vessels. Congress has earmarked $830 million, but North Carolina hasn’t appropriated its share of $340 million yet. It was slated to start in 2030 and take about six years.
This year, the project stalled due to objections from state regulators, based on environmental and pollution concerns. A decision from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers on the project was expected this fall — though NC Ports is now asking to suspend that process, as well.
NC Ports recently told WHQR it remains in favor of the project as part of its long-term strategic plan and, according to Clark, it remains bullish on the potential economic benefits. However, the concerns about PFAS need more time to be considered than the current timeline allow, Clark wrote.
“While we are certain the economic benefits from such a project could have lasting positive impacts on the entire State, what has become clear during this process is a need to pause and give adequate study and reflection to the potential environmental impacts of a project of this magnitude, including the potential impacts of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, commonly referred to as PFAS. The questions raised by residents, researchers and other stakeholders regarding the potential effects of PFAS within the scope of this project are too important to be subject to a systematic timeline,” Clark wrote.
Clark did not ask to cancel the project, but wrote that it was in the best interest of both the state and local communities that “we pause and allow our next steps to be guided by sound science and rigorous research.”
Clark emphasized that NC Ports “has long valued its partnership with the USACE and specifically our close working relationship with the USACE Wilmington District,” and added that NC Ports would “lean on that relationship while we seek to utilize the current channel to the fullest extent possible” as it continues to pursue increasing overall freight traffic through the port in the coming years.
WHQR contacted USACE for comment, and will update this article with any additional information.
