Resilient Coastal Communities Program
The Town has been awarded grant funding through the NC Division of Coastal Management’s (DCM) Resilient Coastal Communities Program (RCCP) to begin a Neighborhood Stormwater Management Study. The Town has identified five residential neighborhoods that experience routine flooding from stormwater runoff. This study will investigate the causes of the flooding, engage affected property owners, and evaluate potential solutions.
The RCCP Phase 3 Final Report can be viewed here.
Project Background
In 2021, Duck was chosen as one of many communities to participate in the RCCP. This new program addresses the need to advance coastal resilience for over 20 coastal counties in North Carolina. This program provides funding and technical assistance to Duck for developing resilience strategies and associated project engineering, design, and implementation, and incentivizes innovative solutions (natural and nature-based).
The overall goal of the RCCP is to involve the community in setting coastal resilience goals, assessing the existing conditions and needed capacity, and identifying and prioritizing projects that will enhance Duck’s resilience and response to coastal hazards. This process will eventually result in a Resilience Strategy for the Town of Duck.
Teresa Court Stormwater Improvements
The Teresa Court Stormwater Improvements project was purposefully selected by the Town of Duck as a model project for the community because it incorporates several types of nature-based stormwater management solutions. Constructing multiple solutions will allow the project to serve as a model for other neighborhoods or communities seeking any to implement any of these alternatives. The project was first identified in the Neighborhood Stormwater Study, which identifies dozens of potential stormwater management improvement projects within five flood-prone basins in the study areas.
The proposed stormwater management project will implement three nature-based solutions including the replacement of an existing, flood-prone, asphalt cul-de-sac with permeable pavers, installation of a central bioretention basin, and construction of a dry detention bioswale one foot in depth around the edge of Teresa Court. These stormwater management improvements are intended to reduce flooding in the Teresa Court cul-de-sac and surrounding neighborhood by substantially reducing impervious surfaces and increasing the stormwater storage capacity.
Click here to view information about the project.
The RCCP is broken down into four phases, shown below:
The Town has undertaken numerous planning efforts that will aid this process:
- Comprehensive and Land Use Plan – 2021
- Outer Banks Regional Hazard Mitigation Plan – Summer 2020
- Flood Damage Prevention Ordinance – 2020
- Duck Infrastructure Vulnerability Assessment 2020
The project team will primarily use this website and the town E-news releases to let members of the community know about project updates and ways they can provide input and participate in the planning process.
Ways to Stay Involved
- Check out the Town’s resilience project matrix, with descriptions of needed projects identified through the planning efforts listed above. We will post a short survey soon where you can rank these projects by importance to you.
- View the Interactive Critical Infrastructure & Hazards Map to learn more about how various natural hazards are projected to affect Duck.
- Review the Menu of Potential Solutions being recommended in your neighborhood.
- The March 30, 2023 Open House with VHB can be viewed here.
Thank you to those who provided input for the first round of engagement for the Duck Stormwater Study! The Town map and comments can be viewed at:
Duck Stormwater Management Study (arcgis.com)
Contact Information
The project’s core team includes town staff who are managing the program and the consultant team. For questions or for more information, contact:
Joe Heard
Director of Community Development
jheard@townofduck.com