NHCGov: June 2024 Soil and Water Newsletter

 

June 2024 Soil and Water Newsletter

 

Financial Assistance Programs

Do you have water quality issues at your house? We can help out with that! The district offers New Hanover County property owners the ability to participate in financial assistance programs that either partially or fully cover the installation costs of Best Management Practices (BMPs). Some BMPs we have installed include rain gardens or cisterns. Here is more information about the programs that we offer:

Community Conservation Assistance Program (CCAP)

CCAP funds up to 75% of the installation costs of the Best Management Practices installed through the program. This program covers New Hanover County. All applications are due by August 31st, 2024.

Heal Our Waterways

The Heal Our Waterways program funds 100% of the installation costs of the Best Management Practices installed through the program. This program covers only Hewletts and Bradley creek watersheds. Applications are received on a rolling basis.

Heal Our Waterways Website

New Hanover County Water Quality Improvement Program

The New Hanover County Water Quality Improvement Program funds 50% of the installation costs of the Best Management Practices installed through the program. This program covers only the unincorporated area of the county. Applications are received on a rolling basis. 

Don't know what watershed you live in? Use the link below to find out.

New Hanover County Watersheds

Use this link to learn more about the programs listed above:

New Hanover County Stormwater Solutions

Are you interested in one of these programs? Reach out to Bryan Dadson, our Conservation Specialist at bryan.dadson@nhcgov.com

 

Education and Outreach

Island Ecology Class

Our Director, Dru Harrison, and Program Coordinator, Jessica Stitt, taught UNCW undergraduate and graduate students about coastal geology and soils. Island Ecology for Educators is a summer class that allows Education and Environmental Science students to visit different ecosystems in the Wilmington area. In this course, they learned a variety of topics regarding geology, soil types, and qualities of soil.  It was a "full circle moment" for Jessica, who also took this class when she was in graduate school! 

Mud Day

Saturday, June 8th, we had the wonderful opportunity to participate in Mud Day at The Children's Museum of Wilmington. Mud Day is an event the Children's Museum of Wilmington hosts where kids have the opportunity to get dirty and have messy fun! They can squish mud in there hands, make mud pies, explore Magic mud, and do other fun messy activities! Of course, New Hanover County Soil and Water District had to get involved on Mud Day! At our station, we had three samples of sand, silt, and clay for kids to touch and compare with each other. We also brought playdoh for kids to mold and squish together. The playdoh was a variety of colors, ranging from gray to pink. We used this opportunity to teach how soil can be all types of colors around the world, depending on your location. 

 

 

July Rain Barrel Sales

July 11th 8:30am-4pm at the New Hanover County Arboretum

July 20th 8am-1pm at the Wilmington Farmer's Market at Tidal Creek

Use the link below to learn about the rain barrel we sell. As always, we can only take cash or check and the barrels are $85. We sell them at a 50% discount than what are sold online.

50 Gallon Ivy Rain Barrel

 

Hurricane Season has begun!

It is a good idea to get ready for hurricanes, hurricane season runs from June-November. Use the link below to learn about the items you should have in your emergency supply kit.

Emergency Supply Kit

To get updates on hurricanes in our area, text READYNHC to 24639. Stay informed!