Nags Head cleaning up ocean outfalls
Published October 20, 2007 by adminHave you seen the strange boxes by the roadside on Rt. 12 through Nags Head lately? No, they’re not pooper-scooper receptacles or recycling bins.
They’re ocean outfall monitoring stations for the newly proposed AbTech Smart Sponge system the Town of Nags Head is considering installing to clean up the stormwater drain-off at Conch Street.
Part of the $15 million NC Department of Environment and Natural Resources pilot project, the system being looked at is a high-tech pathogen-filtration system which could be installed this winter, according to Johnny Martin, coastal engineer with Moffatt & Nichol in Raleigh. The boxes on the roadside help determine exactly what is being flushed into the ocean at the outfalls, and in what quantities.
Called a Smart Sponge, the 30-foot wide, 70-foot long series of filters required a maintenance and replacement plan that could cost the Town of Nags Head up to $240,000 every several years to maintain.
The nine ocean outfalls located from Kill Devil Hills to South Nags Head were installed many years ago (when there was much less development) are necessary for flushing storm water off of the roadways.
Keeping the ocean clean at these locations is a great concern to Dare County, since occasionally pathogens are found in the effluent into the ocean from these outfalls which can result in temporary beach closures.
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill’s NC Coastal Studies Institute was hired for the summer to conduct research for the project but this summer was quite dry so research was somewhat hindered.
It is basically a test project, but the reality is that we want the cleanest beaches and ocean possible. The Town of Nags Head and the Department of Transportation (who installed the outfall system) will need to finalize who pays for it initially, how it will be maintained and who pays to maintain it. But it’s a great start to keeping our ocean clean and our beaches open!
Terry Rush Cremia
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