Major plans for Soules Swamp and the Waccamaw River will be discussed at a meeting Thursday in Whiteville
Edward Davis of Cape Fear Resources Conservation and Development said Economic Development director Gary Lanier, Danielle Darkangelo and others will be on hand to hear concerns and suggestions, and detail plans for a major clearance project for the waterway.
“Virtually everyone in columbus county has been affected by high water at one time or another,” Davis said. “It’s obvious that flooding is a major concern for everyone, but we have to have a plan to get the water downstream without flooding out people in the next area.”
Funding for the potential project will be contingent on public participation, Davis said.
“The more people we have attending, the more attention the project will get,” he explained. A portion of the meeting will be set aside for public comments, and written statements are also welcome, Davis said.
Soules Swamp and White Marsh collect runoff from northern and western Columbus, and send it down the Waccamaw River. When the river overflows its banks or is blocked, or during a catastrophic rain event, flooding backs up into Whiteville.
Dozens of homes and businesses were damaged this fall when Tropical Storm Idalia brought six-plus inches to the Whiteville area. Damages were estimated in the hundreds of thousands of dollars — a pale shadow of the millions in damages caused by Hurricanes Matthew and Florence in 2016 and 2018.
“Cleaning a waterway is a slow process, even before you can actually start doing the work,” Davis said. “The more people who demonstrate interest, the sooner we hope to get things moving.”
Thursday’s meeting is at 6 p.m., and the public is encouraged to attend.
