Coastal commission to change sandbag rules

NEW HANOVER COUNTY, NC (WWAY) — The North Carolina Coastal Resources Commission met today to discuss topics including sandbags used to help maintain our shores.

From Kure Beach to Topsail and Oak islands, these bags protect homes, roads and septic systems.

“In many areas they have functioned as they were intended and they have been temporary,”Coastal Resources Advisory Council Chair Debbie Smith said.

But there are rules for these bags, and the NC Coastal Resources commissioners said not all of them are being enforced.

“Time limits have not been enforceable,” Smith said. “People are not abandoning.”

Some policies they discussed at the New Hanover County Government Center today include sandbag removal, expiration, who can have them and if they can be repaired. Smith said it’s time the CRC starts from scratch.

“I think we’ve patched the present rules for way too long, since the early ’90s,” Smith said. “I think it’s time to throw them all out and start over with fresh rules. Keep the ones that are working and that we might need, but certainly think outside the box and see what else we might need.”

Another possible change is allowing property owners adjacent to a home that is threatened get sandbags as well. The CRC decided to pass a temporary fix at its meeting in November for a December deadline and start working on the new set of policies for the next deadline.

“There needs to be a re-work of those rules and I think the commission is on the right track to get that done and hopefully in a very timely manner,” Smith said.