NCDEQ breaks ground on a natural infrastructure pilot project to address chronic flooding in the Stoney Creek Watershed, Goldsboro

The $1.6 million natural infrastructure flood mitigation project, located on the Wayne Community College (WCC) campus, is a stormwater wetland and detention basin that will provide flood reduction capacity in the Stoney Creek Watershed. Specifically, the project addresses flooding along Wayne Memorial Drive.

DEQ Secretary Reid Wilson, WCC President Patricia Pfeiffer and other local officials and stakeholders spoke at the groundbreaking ceremony today at WCC.

“It’s critical that we build, and rebuild, to be more resilient to devastating storms,” said DEQ Secretary Reid Wilson. “By planning and implementing natural infrastructure flood mitigation projects, we will help ensure Wayne County is a more resilient place for people to live, work, and raise a family.” 

In addition to providing flood mitigation, the project will connect to the greenway path along Reedy Creek to enhance WCC’s existing trail system and increase educational opportunities at the stormwater facility.

“We are pleased that the Flood Mitigation Pilot Project in the Stoney Creek Watershed will be located at Wayne Community College, helping to alleviate the flooding in the area," said WCC President Pfeiffer. "This will have a positive impact on our campus, our community, and the local businesses in Wayne County that are affected by this issue, and we appreciate the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality for allowing us to be a part of the solution.” 

The project site, located along Reedy Creek, a tributary to Stoney Creek, will capture runoff from most of the campus and slowly release it through a controlled outlet at the lower portion of WCC. Water retention within this stormwater wetland basin slows the discharge of water to Reedy Branch, reducing water volume and peak flows to adjacent streams. The stormwater wetland basin will also be vegetated with native vegetation, providing stability, nutrient uptake and habitat values.  

This project is the first demonstration site under the DMS Natural Infrastructure Flood Mitigation Program (NIFMP), which was established by the NC General Assembly (NCGA) in 2020. The program seeks to use natural infrastructure to mitigate flooding in small, targeted watersheds. Strategies can include building wetlands and restoring streams, which may help store water and reduce flooding. 

This project will serve as the basis for expanding natural infrastructure flood mitigation projects in North Carolina watersheds. Lessons learned will help develop scaling solutions to enhance community flood resilience across the state.

DEQ anticipates initiating additional natural infrastructure flood mitigation pilot projects in the Stoney Creek Watershed in 2025 and 2026 with the $8.5 million the NCGA allocated to DEQ. The department’s ultimate goal is to mitigate flooding in the watershed through a combination of current and future projects.