Posted on February 11, 2026
By Emma Dill
State review of a project that would deepen Wilmington’s harbor from its current 42-foot depth to 47 feet is currently paused.
The N.C. Department of Environmental Quality’s Division of Coastal Management (DCM) paused its review at the request of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) in coordination with the N.C. State Ports Authority, according to a news release issued last month.
A spokesperson with North Carolina Ports said port officials supported the request to pause.
“A project of this magnitude deserves close scrutiny,” the spokesperson wrote in an email to the Business Journal. “We appreciate the due diligence of both the N.C. Department of Environmental Quality and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers as they work to examine and address concerns raised during the public comment period.”
DCM had been reviewing the USACE’s consistency determination for the $1.35 billion project, pursuant to the federal Coastal Zone Management Act, the release stated. A federal consistency determination is the USACE’s finding that a proposed project meets the enforceable policies of a state’s coastal management program to the maximum extent practicable. A state must then either concur with or object to the USACE’s finding, the release stated.
The pause gives the USACE time to review and consider issues raised by DCM and the public before the state-level review is completed, according to the release. A timeline for restarting the review hasn’t been established.
Despite the pause, the USACE and N.C. State Ports Authority are continuing coordination with the N.C. Division of Coastal Management and the N.C. Department of Environmental Quality, as part of the federal consistency review, according to Jed Cayton, a USACE public affairs specialist.
“Discussions are ongoing, and the agencies are working through all comments received on the draft (Environmental Impact Statement or EIS),” Cayton wrote in an email to the Business Journal. “Because the review is active, it would be premature to speculate on outcomes or timelines. The pause in the consistency review is only to make sure the EIS is as detailed as possible. This effort should not affect the overall timeline of the project.”
In September, the USACE released draft versions of a letter report and accompanying EIS on the harbor deepening, marking the next step in a years-long process to evaluate deepening the harbor and its adjacent channel.
Port officials have said that deepening the port and channel would boost the Port of Wilmington’s competitiveness and allow it to accommodate fully loaded ships. Some ships currently have to be light-loaded to get in and out of the port, N.C. Ports Executive Director Brian Clark told the Business Journal last fall.
The EIS from USACE identifies various potential impacts from the project, including the loss of fish habitats and impacts to certain wetlands.
Submissions during the project’s public comment period, which ended Dec. 20, also raise concerns about environmental impacts, including that sediment dredged as part of the harbor deepening could contain PFAS, or per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, chemicals that have polluted the drinking water supply in the Cape Fear River.
Some comments raised concerns about adverse aquatic and ecological effects, the loss of wetlands and impacts of saltwater intrusion, while others questioned the need for the project and the return on the investment for the community.
The city of Wilmington became the latest municipality in the Cape Fear region last week to formally urge state and federal officials to further review the harbor deepening. Other municipalities that have approved similar resolutions in recent months include the city of Southport, the village of Bald Head Island, the Town of Leland and the Town of Kure Beach, among others.
A comment submitted by the Southern Environmental Law Center and cosigned by Cape Fear River Watch, Audubon NC, the North Carolina Coastal Federation and North Carolina Sierra Club, among others, called it an “economically infeasible and wholly unnecessary project that could devastate the natural resources that make coastal North Carolina unique.”
“For the mere purpose of saving shipping companies an unidentified amount of money, the Corps proposes to destroy more than 1,000 acres of wetlands, risk harm to threatened and endangered species, threaten groundwater quality and increase coastal and riverine erosion – all while exacerbating the effects of sea level rise in the Wilmington area,” the submitted comment states.
Others offered support for the project, including a written comment from Natalie English, president and CEO of the Greater Wilmington Chamber of Commerce, that highlighted the role the project could play in safeguarding the port’s competitiveness.
“A modern port is fundamental to future-proofing our economy. Without the deepening project, North Carolina risks losing market share to ports that are already preparing for the next generation of vessels,” she wrote. The global shipping industry continues to trend toward larger, more efficient ships that require deeper channels and improved navigation. Failure to act would shift cargo, investment and job creation to competitor states.”
The Army Corps received more than 1,500 comments during the public review period, according to Cayton. Based on feedback, additional clarity about potential impacts will be provided in the final Environmental Impact Statement, which is expected to be finalized this fall.
Once the state’s review process resumes, DCM will decide whether to concur or object to the USACE’s consistency determination for the proposed project, the release stated. If DCM objects, it can offer alternatives or conditions that, if agreed to by the USACE, would allow the project to proceed.
