FINAL PUBLIC NOTICE

NC Dept. of Natural and Cultural Resources has applied for Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Public Assistance (PA) Program funding through North Carolina Emergency Management (NCEM) as a sub- recipient.

Under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), federal actions must be reviewed and evaluated for feasible alternatives and for social, economic, historic, environmental, legal, and safety considerations. Under Executive Order (EO) 11988 and EO 11990, FEMA is required to consider alternatives, and to provide a public notice of any proposed actions in or affecting floodplains or wetlands. EO 12898 also requires FEMA to provide the opportunity for public participation in the planning process and to consider potential impacts to minority and low-income populations. This notice may also fulfill requirements under Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA).

Funding for the proposed project will be conditional upon compliance with all applicable federal, tribal, state, and local laws, regulations, floodplain standards, permit requirements and conditions.

Sub-Applicant: NC Dept. of Natural and Cultural Resources

Project Title: 168559: Historic Sites, Brunswick Town/Fort Anderson - Shoreline erosion; PA-04-NC-4568-PW-00257

Location of Proposed Work:

Special Flood Hazard Area Zone:

This project is for the installation of reclaimed unclassified soil and new armor stone to restore the area and minimize erosion caused by future floods. All work is located in a Zone VE (Coastal High Hazard Area). Confirmation of location in a Special Flood Hazard Area (SFHA) was determined by the Brunswick County Effective Flood Insurance Rate Map, Panel Number: 3720311000K, dated 8/28/2018. The proposed work conforms to all applicable State of North Carolina and local floodplain regulations. There is a potential for the facility to be impacted by future flooding events due to its location within the Zone VE. The proposed work will not take place in wetlands per the United States Fish and Wildlife Service National Wetlands Inventory and will have little potential to impact or affect wetland values.

Proposed Work and Purpose:

The NC Dept. of Natural and Cultural Resources restored the Brunswick Town/Fort Anderson Historic Site by placing 48 cubic yards of reclaimed soil, installed one roll of filter fabric and installed 235.7 tons of armor stone on a shoreline segment. Due to its proximity to the Cape Fear River, part of the coastline was impacted by storm surge from Hurricane Isaias during the incident period of Jul 31, 2020 - Aug 4, 2020. All repairs will be in accordance with construction standards, building codes and ordinance compliance. The action is intended to protect the shoreline from future storm surge, protect the archeological resources and continue to facilitate the open space use at the Brunswick Town Historic Site.

Project Alternatives:

Alternative #1 (No action): The 'no action' alternative would ultimately result in a negative impact on the Brunswick Town Historic Site. If repairs are not made, the historic park would be rendered unsafe, causing adverse impacts on this historic area.   

Alternative #2 (Repair in-kind): Repairing the shoreline with only reclaimed soil may result in similar damages from future events. If similar damage occurs, it would cause adverse social and economic impacts to the Brunswick Town Historic Site.

Comment Period:

Comments are solicited from the public; local, state or federal agencies, and other interested parties in order to consider and evaluate the impacts of the proposed project. The comments should be made in writing and addressed to:

Alternatively, comments may be emailed to: FEMA-R4EHP@fema.dhs.gov. Please send comments with the subject line [DR-4568-NC-00257 11988 COMMENT].

All comments are due by no later than 30 days of the posted date of this notice.

POSTED ON: January 3, 2022

End of Notice