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Researchers and volunteers at Stump Sound in Onslow County. Photo: N.C. Coastal Federation
A $75,000 grant will go toward plans to improve and maintain the water quality of Stump Sound in Onslow County, known for its oysters.
The North Carolina Coastal Federation received the grant from North Carolina Land and Water Fund for the development of a plan to address water quality and reduce localized flooding.
Stump Sound is designated as Outstanding Resource Waters, open shellfish waters, and a primary nursery area by the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality.
While the classifications are to protect the existing uses of the sound for shellfishing, in recent years water quality has declined. Shellfish beds are now often closed to harvest following more frequent rain events because of larger amounts of polluted stormwater runoff flowing into the sound from surrounding land uses.
The North Carolina Coastal Federation hired contractors for a large-scale marine debris cleanup at the Rachel Carson Reserve. Photo: NC Coastal Federation
Because of the significant contributions from many partners and supporters during this difficult year, the North Carolina Coastal Federation, which publishes Coastal Review Online, has been able to continue its work to protect and restore the state’s coast.
While the federation had to adapt to the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, the nonprofit organization was able to restore thousands of acres of wetlands, reduce millions of gallons of polluted runoff, install more than a mile of living shorelines, build oyster reefs, remove hundreds of tons of marine debris from coastal estuaries, and work to promote management decisions and policies that maintain a healthy coastal economy and environment, according to the federation.