New wetlands project aims to ease chronic flooding

A new state-led project aims to keep roads dry and hospital access
open during storms in a flood-prone part of Goldsboro.

State officials broke ground Friday on a natural infrastructure
pilot project behind Wayne Community College, where frequent flooding has been
known to cut off access to nearby Wayne Memorial Hospital. The site will be
transformed into a stormwater wetland and detention basin, designed to collect
and slowly release rainwater before it overwhelms roads and downstream
communities.

“The Neuse River floods frequently, and there are devastating
effects downstream,” said N.C. Department of Environmental Quality Secretary
Reid Wilson. “This will enable water to be collected and released more slowly,
so it doesn’t just overwhelm downstream communities.”

The $1.2 million project is the first to launch under North
Carolina’s Natural Infrastructure Flood Mitigation Program, established by lawmakers in
2020 to address chronic flooding using nature-based strategies like wetland
restoration and stream repair. The program received an initial $3.5 million in
the state’s 2021 budget, along with additional federal funding through a
Community Development Block Grant.

The pilot is designed not only to solve a local problem—but also
to serve as a model for similar projects statewide. 

“This is like pulling buckets out of a bathtub before it
overflows,” said Marc Rectenwald, director of the Division of Mitigation
Services at DEQ. “We’re holding water here so it doesn’t cause damage
downstream.”

The detention basin will also help manage runoff from the college
campus and allow for future expansion. The site will be planted with native
vegetation to filter water and support wildlife. 

A tool for the future 

The Stoney Creek project will help inform the state’s first Flood Resiliency Blueprint, a statewide planning tool
scheduled for release this spring. The Blueprint, developed in partnership with
community and conservation groups, will guide local governments in identifying
risks and prioritizing projects to reduce flood impacts. 

“This is a critical investment in the health and safety of our
communities,” said Will McDow, associate vice president of the Environmental
Defense Fund’s Climate Resilient Coasts and Watersheds program. “Projects like
this are essential as we face more intense storms and rising flood risks.”

While Goldsboro has not seen catastrophic damage from recent
hurricanes, city officials say localized flooding is a persistent issue. All
streams in the city are subject to overflow, and even minor storms can disrupt
traffic and emergency access.

Wetland protections rolled
back

The project comes amid changes to wetland protections at both the
federal and state levels.

In 2023, the U.S. Supreme Court narrowed the definition of
federally protected wetlands under the Clean Water Act in the Sackett v. EPA ruling. In response, North
Carolina lawmakers passed legislation preventing state regulators from
enforcing wetland protections stronger than the federal standard—leading to the
loss of state oversight on thousands of acres of isolated wetlands.

Gov. Roy Cooper vetoed the legislation, warning it would increase
flood risk, but the General Assembly overrode his veto.

Despite the rollback, state officials say projects like the one in
Goldsboro demonstrate how wetlands can be used as infrastructure to address
flooding—offering a cost-effective and climate-resilient alternative to
traditional drainage systems.

Construction on the Stoney Creek site is expected to
be completed within four months.