How Wilmington's Army Corps of Engineers is working against Snow's Cut shoreline erosion

As shoreline erosion along Snow’s Cut has continued to be a challenge for decades, Wilmington’s district of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is planning what will eventually be another round of shoreline stabilization.

The cut, named after Major William A. Snow, was constructed between 1929 and 1931 and connects the Cape Fear River to the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway to provide safe inland navigation along the coast of North Carolina.

Shoreline erosion, according to the Corps, has been a challenge since the early 1950s and between 1953 and 2013, on average, 1,625 feet of material eroded from the northern shoreline and 1,864 feet eroded from the southern shoreline.

According to the Corps, this erosion poses threats to infrastructure, operations, recreation, environmental resources, and cultural resources on federal lands, portions of which are leased to state agencies or local governments.

One example is the closure of Snow’s Cut Park at the end of June 2021 due to the erosion and public safety concerns.

The Corps has already constructed shoreline stabilization and erosion protection measures with the most recent being in March 2018 with construction east of Snow's Cut Bridge. But without intervention, erosion in unstabilized areas along the cut is expected to continue, so more work is needed.

Previous reporting:New Hanover residents want answers after closing of Snow's Cut Park

The environmental assessment

The Corps will conduct an Environmental Assessment, which is required for all federal projects under the National Environmental Policy Act, that will address the anticipated effects to the environment associated with construction of the shoreline stabilization and erosion protection.

The Corps’ environmental analysis will highlight potential impacts to fisheries, terrestrial resources, threatened and endangered species, and cultural resources as well as socioeconomic, recreational and aesthetic resources. Water quality, air quality and potential hazardous and toxic wastes will also be addressed.

The scoping period for the environmental assessment, which was also required under federal law and allows the public to submit questions or concerns, ended July 8, but according to Public Affairs Specialist for the Corps Jed Cayton, once the draft environmental assessment is available for review, the public will have 30 days to provide any additional comments on the proposed project.

The draft is scheduled to be available for review in March 2025.

The construction

While it's still a ways away, construction will be focused on four main areas to maximize the project's protection benefits, which include Snow's Cut Park, dredged material placement area, Carolina Beach State Park east and Carolina Beach State Park west. According to the Corps, construction is expected to begin in January 2026 and end in September 2026.

For the first reach at Snow's Cut Park North Bank, the Corps proposed 2,200 feet of toe revetment with natural banks. For the second reach, the dredged material placement area, the Corps proposed 1,100 feet of toe revetment with natural banks. For the third reach, Carolina Beach State Park east, the Corps proposed 1,600 feet of living shoreline and natural banks with pile wave attenuators. For the fourth reach, Carolina Beach State Park west, the proposed design is 2,200 feet of concrete wave attenuators with wetland vegetation.

How is the project funded?

The Wilmington district of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers received $15 million in funding through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to conduct planning and design, environmental compliance and construction.