The Town of Topsail Beach, North Carolina, awarded their channel dredging and beach nourishment project contract to Weeks Marine during a special meeting last week.
The $24.6 million project, often referred to as the Local Storm Damage Reduction Plan or SDR, includes dredging the New Topsail Inlet and the side channels in Banks Channel and is expected to place up to 2.2 million cubic yards of sand on the beach, including the development of a new dune.
The scheme is the continuation of the Town’s 30-Year Beach Management Plan adopted in 2011.
“We are pleased our project will be underway this winter,” said Michael Rose, town manager. “Awarding this contract is the culmination of a lot of hard work by the Town and its partners. Our town officials, the Beach, Inlet and Sound (BIS) Committee, residents, and various state and federal agencies have made Topsail Beach’s nourishment program a great success.”
The Town’s beach nourishment efforts started in 2003 when Topsail Beach leaders set aside a portion of its tax rate for a beach fund. Over the course of time, several projects have been implemented through its own local project efforts.
In 2016, Topsail Beach was named Best Restored Beach by the American Shore and Beach Preservation Association (ASBPA).
It is expected that this latest project will start in mid-December and run through April 2020.