Beaufort, NC (December 3) – LAWFUEL – Carteret County filed a lawsuit today in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina to stop the significant environmental damage being done to Bogue Banks by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ (Corps) dredging of Beaufort Inlet and its handling of the sand it removes from the inlet.
The case challenges the Corps’ management of millions of cubic yards of beach-quality sand as part of the Morehead City Harbor Project, which has been administered by the Corps for nearly a century. The sand is dredged and dumped offshore, thereby removing it from the ecosystem of Bogue Banks, a barrier island located along the central North Carolina coast. Municipalities on Bogue Banks have spent tens of millions of dollars offsetting the significant adverse impacts of the Corps’ dredging and sand management practices.
“We have tried for years to work this out with the Corps,” said Doug Harris, Chairman of the Carteret County Board of Commissioners. “Unfortunately, those efforts have failed. We are determined to do whatever is necessary to prevent further damage to Bogue Banks.”
The relief that Carteret County is requesting includes an order permanently enjoining the Corps from dumping beach-quality sand offshore. The County is also asking the court to enjoin the Corps from dredging Beaufort Inlet until the Corps prepares documents required by federal law that fully evaluate the environmental impacts of the Morehead City Harbor Project.
“The Corps’ own studies document the significant damage that is being done to Bogue Banks,” said Buck Fugate, Chairman of the Carteret County Beach Commission. “The sand from Beaufort Inlet needs to stay on our beaches where God intended it to be, instead of being dumped in the ocean just to save money.”
The law firm of Kilpatrick Stockton is representing Carteret County in this matter.
For media inquires and a copy of the Complaint, please contact Greg “Rudi” Rudolph (252) 393-2663.
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