Water Quality & Local Environmental Initiatives
Quick Links:
Water Quality Monitoring in New Hanover County
Lower Cape Fear Stewardship Development Award Program
Low Impact Development (LID)
Water Quality Protection
New Hanover County’s water quality has suffered in recent years. This has led to a strong community desire for greater protection and enhancement of surface and ground water resources. The County continues to work toward preventing further deterioration and loss of public uses in surface water. Please visit the Water Quality Monitoring page to learn more about water quality initiatives in New Hanover County.
Lower Cape Fear Stewardship Development Award Program
Innovative development projects that enhance aesthetics and minimize adverse environmental impacts of the built environment are encouraged in New Hanover County. The Lower Cape Fear Stewardship Development Award Program honors development projects in Brunswick, New Hanover or Pender County that demonstrate outstanding environmental stewardship through the protection, conservation, improvement and awareness of our natural resources. The Program is entering into the fifth application cycle and applications are due by July 31, 2009.
Visit www.stewardshipdev.com for more information or contact Shawn Ralston at (910) 798-7444 or sralston@nhcgov.com.
CLICK HERE to download a brochure
CLICK HERE to download an application packet
Low Impact Development (LID)
LID is a different way to develop land and manage stormwater runoff that seeks to preserve and protect water quality. On October 6, 2008, the New Hanover Board of Commissioners adopted a resolution supporting a Joint City-County LID Guidance Manual and spreadsheet modeling tool and encouraging the use of LID techniques in New Hanover County. To complement the manual, a spreadsheet tool was also developed for engineers to use for stormwater permitting processes when attempting to incorporate LID into their projects. Please visit the County's Low Impact Development page to learn more.
Alternative Transportation
As traffic continues to increase, the County continues to encourage alternative forms of transportation. Alternative transportation measures include local transit, bicycle and pedestrian movement and transportation demand measures such as vanpooling and ride sharing. Click on the following links to learn more:
Bicycling in New Hanover County
WAVE Transit - Click here to find out about bus transportation in New Hanover County
Cape Fear Breeze - Alternative Transportation in New Hanover County
Global Climate Change and Sea Level Rise
As a County government, we are responsible for the greenhouse gas emissions we generate, including those that are generated as a result of our development patterns. In order to address global climate change on a county level, staff is working to develop a climate action plan for New Hanover County. In order to develop a climate action plan, emissions must be inventoried and recommendations must be in place to address future growth so that greenhouse gas emissions can be reduced from current levels.
In association with global climate change, as a coastal county, sea level rise is also a major concern. Sea level rise projections have been developed by a wide range of respected authorities. It is predicted that sea levels may rise from 11-50 inches by the year 2050. Potential impacts from seal level rise could be diverse including: inundation of developable land, increased flooding impacts, increased shoreline erosion, loss of wetlands, and saltwater intrusion into groundwater. There are many measures local government could take to mitigate the impacts of sea level rise in our area. For more information about sea level rise, click on the following links.
EPA - Sea Level Rise Information
Additional Links
EPA – Observe Our Current Air Quality and Air Quality Forecasts
NCDENR - Division of Water Quality
NCDENR - Division of Coastal Management
EPA - Surf Your Watershed