DRAINAGE COMMITTEE REPORT
The torrential rains this summer flooded several beach communities on the Outer Banks, including Whalehead. Whalehead received 12 inches of rain in a five-day period. The pumps on Sailfish and Perch had electrical problems but were quickly repaired. The Marlin pump was not defective, but no electricity was flowing to it. When the pump was switched to generator power, it immediately began to run.
The North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) promised to send pumps to Whalehead, but no pumps were provided Eventually, the Corolla fire station provided a small pump that was used for portions of Lighthouse Drive.
For the past year, the Whalehead Stormwater Drainage District has been working with Moffatt and Nichol, the engineering firm that designed the original drainage system, to enhance and improve the drainage Dolphin Street, the intersection of Sailfish and Lighthouse Drive, Coral Street, Bonito Street, Lighthouse Drive between Barracuda and Herring, the intersection of Sturgeon and Corolla Drive, and Corolla Drive between Shad and Tuna.
Bonito Street, which flooded heavily during the last storm, is not part of the Drainage District, because it is a state-owned road, and NCDOT did not respond to Currituck County’s multiple invitations to participate during the construction of the original system. Moffatt and Nichol has prepared preliminary engineering plans for Bonito, and the County has again invited NCDOT to participate.
Construction is scheduled to begin in January 2019 and be completed in May 2019. Construction will not include Bonito, unless NCDOT responds to the County’s invitation to participate in the program.
