USS North Carolina Battleship Project
Living with Water
Living with Water
was launched in 2018 when Battleship property was increasingly flooded by high tides. In fact, a study showed a 7,021% increase in tidal flooding since the Battleship came to Wilmington in 1961. High tides overwhelm our only access road and submerge large parts of our parking lot. Since our top priority is making sure visitors conveniently and safely enjoy USS North Carolina Battleship Memorial, leadership launched Living with Water – a Generations Campaign Project, with the support of funders.
Living with Water
will re-naturalize part of our existing parking lot and elevate the rest of the parking lot area. Re-naturalization will be achieved by removing about 2 acres of flood-prone parking and restoring the area to wetland habitat divided by a tidal creek. The wetland will help capture and absorb high tides, while the tidal creek will direct water to the Cape Fear River.
The remaining parking lot will be raised above the frequent high-tide flood zone. The new parking lot will be improved by installing a stormwater bio-swale to capture and quickly drain tide and rain water to the new wetland habitat. Boardwalks and signage will describe the naturalized improvements and plantings.
Living with Water
will also restore about 800 linear feet of harden and eroding berth to a living shoreline. Living shorelines are a natural transition between land and water that create resiliency from waves and storms.
Living with Water restorations (wetland, tidal creek, bio-swale, and living shoreline) will make room for water on the landscape and allow tides to ebb and flow. They will also provide critical feeding and shelter habitat for nursery and juvenile fish species, migrating and native birds, and visiting wildlife like alligators, beavers, and otters. Wetlands, bioswales, and living shorelines create resiliency to protect community assets, local economies, and historic and cultural values.
Living with Water is a resiliency model for climate-driven rising seas that provides a test case for on-the-ground restoration actions. We know conditions at the Battleship are not unique. Tidal flooding is a widespread threat to many coastal communities and neighborhoods. The Battleship has focused its resources on addressing coastal tidal flooding. Perhaps the actions we take can contribute to the coastal resiliency conversation and help others.
Living with Water
will also restore about 800 linear feet of harden and eroding berth to a living shoreline. Living shorelines are a natural transition between land and water that create resiliency from waves and storms.
Living with Water restorations (wetland, tidal creek, bio-swale, and living shoreline) will make room for water on the landscape and allow tides to ebb and flow. They will also provide critical feeding and shelter habitat for nursery and juvenile fish species, migrating and native birds, and visiting wildlife like alligators, beavers, and otters. Wetlands, bioswales, and living shorelines create resiliency to protect community assets, local economies, and historic and cultural values.
Living with Water is a resiliency model for climate-driven rising seas that provides a test case for on-the-ground restoration actions. We know conditions at the Battleship are not unique. Tidal flooding is a widespread threat to many coastal communities and neighborhoods. The Battleship has focused its resources on addressing coastal tidal flooding. Perhaps the actions we take can contribute to the coastal resiliency conversation and help others.
For more information, visit the Living with Water Story Map featuring interactive maps, graphics, audio clips, and time-lapse photography of tidal flooding at the Battleship.
USS North Carolina Battleship Memorial is grateful for the generous support of the individuals – too numerous to name – and funders who have helped achieve Living with Water through donations and grants. Funders include the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, Kerr-McGee Natural Resources Trustees, United States Fish and Wildlife Service, North Carolina Land and Water Fund, North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources, and the State of North Carolina.