From News Release
Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge has donated components for three major pumping units to the Hyde County Drainage District #7 to assist in protecting the community of Fairfield from flooding.  The district hopes to have the pumps installed as a back-up pump plant in case the existing plant fails. The existing pump plant was installed in 1956 to de-water the community which flooded when the Intracoastal Waterway was built to connect the Alligator and Pungo Rivers.

Ben Simmons, spokesperson for the Hyde County Drainage Distirct #7, explained that Fairfield sits below sea level.  When the Intracoastal Waterway was built to connect the Alligator and Pungo Rivers in the mid-50’s, Fairfield flooded. The US Army Corps of Engineers designed and built a series of dikes and a pump plant that functioned to continually de-water the area.  The district is on a shoestring budget, so not much has been done over the years to upgrade the system or to establish a back-up plan.

“This partnership with the US Fish and Wildlife Service is a shot in the arm for the people in Fairfield.  Without it, I’m not sure what would happen if the existing systems were to fail,” Simmons said.

Deputy Refuge Manager Scott Lanier spearheaded the effort to transfer the pumping units.  Refuge Maintenance Supervisor Bruce Creef, familiar with the capabilities of the pump units and local needs, provided the technical information and communications needed to make the project work.

“It’s important to look out for our neighbors.   We knew if we asked enough questions to the right people, there would be a legal way to transfer this property so it could be used to help Fairfield,” he said.  “The pump units were in excess to our needs on the refuge.  But, we knew there was a lot of life left in them.”

By working through the Federal Government Excess Property Program, state and local governments may “pick up” property that is no longer needed by the federal government.

“This was a win/win for the refuge and the good folks of Fairfield,” added Lanier.