USS Battleship North Carolina - "Living With Water" Project

Project Estimate: Approximately $4,000,000 total with approximately $1,000,000 currently available. The USS Battleship North Carolina Memorial is moored adjacent to the Cape Fear River across from Wilmington, NC. As a significant tourist destination and education center it receives over one quarter-million visitors each year. Of concern is recurrent flooding of the Park property and entrance road, which according to evaluation of water level data and historical tidal data, has increased significantly in recent years. This flooding comes primarily from the Cape Fear River during high tide events and has led to significant impacts to the Park. The major flooding events at the Battleship Memorial are caused by high water on the Cape Fear River. When the Cape Fear River reaches elevation 2.70 ft NAVD88, water begins to overtop its banks and flow into the vehicle parking areas and grassed park areas at the Memorial. At elevation 3.30 ft NAVD88, river water begins to overtop NCDOT roadways USS North Carolina Road and Battleship Road NE. River water can also enter the Memorial area from the low-land marsh areas west of the Battleship. Stormwater runoff can worsen flood conditions at the Memorial but is secondary to high River water levels. Stormwater drainage is hindered by the undersized and damaged pipe network observed along the roadways. Project will provide planning for long-term solutions to flooding issues and budget development of design concepts. Near-term construction should include shoreline restoration and wet-land creation as allowed by current available budget.