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Flooding is to Belhaven as cooler temperatures are to autumn – it’s predictable and expected. The downtown district of Belhaven is plagued by chronic flooding. For years, council members and town managers have shared how flooding issues will be addressed then fixed; however, those plans may stick this time. 

To date, the Town of Belhaven is set to receive a total $848,000 in Resilient Coastal Communities Program (RCCP) grants, but that’s not all. The town could be awarded another estimated $125,000 in FEMA funds. To top it off, Belhaven could get $4,572,000 in FEMA funds to build a pump and floodgate system. 

Town Manager and Floodplain Manager, Lynn Davis shared that there are four projects “in the works that are going to have a very positive impact on the flood conditions we are seeing now.” 

In July, Belhaven received $500,000 from the RCCP to develop a stormwater action plan, an easement acquisition plan and upgrade the stormwater system.

“We are just in the beginning stages of identifying what our next steps are now that we’ve been awarded this grant. There will be some planning involved. The key thing about this particular project is that it is addressing stormwater throughout the town of Belhaven,” Davis said.

Davis’ hope for the stormwater action plan is that the town will determine how to best manage the inflow and outflow of water into the community. 

Other stormwater mitigation projects currently in the works focus on specific areas; however, the stormwater action plan, easement acquisition plan and upgrading stormwater system spans the entirety of Belhaven. The action plan will identify problem areas, sources of water and how to get rid of excess water. 

A primary source of flooding into Belhaven is Wynne’s Gut – a small waterway that runs from the Pungo River, goes under E Water Street and toward Allen Street. It is a source of flooding during severe weather and when king tides rise. 

“Wynne’s Gut has been a source of problematic flooding for the downtown area for more than 30 years,” Davis said. “We have found town council meeting minutes going back 30 years where citizens were talking about the water that crosses Main Street.” 

Davis explained that a portion of RCCP funding will go toward the construction of natural wetland upland of Wynne’s Gut so that flooding in that area has a place to go rather than inundating Main Street with water. 

“We are taking park space and creating wetlands. As part of that we will also be building a walking trail that will connect Pantego Street and our parks to our Main Street area,” Davis said. 

Construction of natural wetlands is expected to begin in several weeks, Davis added. 

A portion of the RCCP funding has paid for an engineering plan that details how Wynne’s Gut can be pumped down. This is aimed to prohibit flood water from crossing Main Street. 

Ten years ago, Washington Daily News reported that plans to address flooding at Wynne’s Gut were brought before the North Carolina General Assembly in 2009 by previous town leadership. The town was awarded a $200,000 grant from the Department of Transportation to pay for a flood mitigation plan designed to prevent flooding on Main Street. The plan involved constructing a floodgate at the Allen Street bridge in downtown. “The floodgate would create a basin in which two big pumps would cycle out excess water back into the river,” The Daily News reported in 2014. The next step was to find grants and funding through multiple agencies and organizations.  

As of Wednesday, Sept. 25, the Town of Belhaven was notified that an application it submitted for FEMA funding entered a second round of consideration. The funding amount is $4,572,000. 

In addition to wondering how the town will address stormwater mitigation, another question for Belhaven is – why does it continue to flood? 

The oversimplified answers are; Belhaven sits lower than other Beaufort County municipalities and the storm drains are full. This means, water has nowhere to go, Davis said. 

Belhaven sits 2.4 feet below sea level, according to the North Carolina Flood Inundation Mapping & Alert Network. Comparatively, Washington sits less than two feet below sea level. The current water level in Belhaven is 1.77 ft, per a report from SECOORA Water Level Network. 

“Our location on the Pungo is wonderful on sunny days, but when there is a system out off of our coast then it does tend to push water up into the [Pamlico] Sound and up into our communities,” Davis said. “Even with the breakwater that is constructed where Pungo River and Pantego Creek meet there is some level of protection. On the north end of town, we don’t have the benefit of the breakwater and that’s one of the areas we’re starting to see is a real challenge of it’s a low-lying community and the water just has no place to go.” 

Over the years, people have filled in ditches with trees and debris where excess water could go. “All of that has an impact on how the water is able to get out of Belhaven,” Davis said.