Towns of Surf City and North Topsail Beach, NC, Secure $237 Million from the Corps of Engineers to Construct Critical Beach Renourishment Project

TFG, alongside Poyner Spruill LLC, worked with the Topsail Island Shoreline Protection Commission (TISPC) in North Carolina to secure a $237 million construction “new start” from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to build the Surf City and North Topsail Beach Project, a critical beach nourishment project that was authorized in the Water Resources Reform and Development Act of 2014. TFG worked with TISPC and its congressional delegation to include new start construction funding in the Additional Supplemental Appropriations for Disaster Relief Act, 2019 (Disaster Relief Act, P.L. 116-20) so TISPC could compete for new start funding though the Disaster Relief Act and the regular “work plan” process through the Corps. The funding was ultimately secured through the Disaster Relief Act in January 2020 after three years of significant advocacy to Congress, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and the White House Office of Management and Budget. After initial construction of the project, the towns of Surf City and North Topsail Beach will receive several hundred thousand dollars in additional funding for periodic renourishment over a 50-year time period and will be eligible for repairs after storm events at 100 percent federal expense.

Press releases related to the award can be found at the following links:

• U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Identifies Additional Flood and Storm Damage Reduction Projects to be Constructed in North Carolina with 2019 Supplemental Funding
• Burr and Tillis Announce $321 Million in Funding to Continue Disaster Relief Efforts
• Army Corps of Engineers to Complete Two Projects Worth $281.5 Million to Reduce Impacts of Storm Damage in the Third District

If you are interested in TFG advocacy services related to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, coastal issues, or related matters, please contact TFG Principal Stephanie Missert at (202) 331-8500 or by email at smissert@tfgnet.com.