Wilmington Harbor Navigation Improvement Project

Also known as the Wilmington Harbor 403 Project

The N.C. State Ports Authority has proposed a project to deepen the Cape Fear River shipping channel by five feet to an average depth of at least 47 feet and widen portions of the existing federal navigation channel within the lower Cape Fear River and harbor entrance. The Port Authority indicated that the existing channel conditions cannot accommodate newer, larger container ships.

The Village of Bald Head Island has submitted comments regarding the proposed project several times, going back as far as 2019. For those who have been involved with Bald Head Island for a long time, the Village was one of the few entities that spoke out with concerns when the navigation channel to the Port of Wilmington was modified (deepened and relocated) in 2000. Back then, one of the main concerns was increased shoreline erosion, and this remains a concern with this proposed project.

This project, however, prompted many local municipalities, individuals, and groups to voice concerns over the project from the channel entrance nearest BHI on up to the City of Wilmington to include Southport and Orton Plantation. In October 2025, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers determined that the proposed project aligns with the state’s coastal policies and rules and asked the N.C. Division of Coastal Management (DCM) to concur as required by the federal Coastal Zone Management Act (CZMA). However, the state can reject the Corps’ determination. In November 2025, DCM hosted a public hearing in Wilmington, which drew strong public engagement, and accepted public comments until December 2025.

On January 20, 2026, DCM released a statement announcing that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, in coordination with the NC State Ports Authority, had asked DCM to pause its review of the Corps’ Consistency Determination, and DCM indicated it had granted the request. In the statement, DCM said that once the review process resumes, “DCM will decide whether to concur or object to the Corps’ determination for the proposed project. If DCM objects, it can offer alternatives or conditions that, if agreed to by the Corps, would allow the project to proceed.”

On February 25, 2026, the NC Division of Coastal Management announced that it had issued a decision objecting to the Corps’ Consistency Determination, “because the 403 Proposal and supporting documentation did not supply sufficient information about PFAS, flooding, and placement of dredged material to allow DCM to adequately evaluate consistency with North Carolina’s enforceable coastal laws and policies.”

According to a Corps spokesperson, the Corps and the N.C. State Ports Authority are reviewing DCM’s decision to determine how they will proceed. Since it was early in the review process, they did not give a date for completion. It is possible that the Corps will decide to postpone final federal action on the project and work with DCM to try to resolve the state’s concerns or initiate a formal dispute resolution process.

The Village will continue to monitor the status of this project and update this webpage as more information becomes available. The Village has been working with its governmental affairs consultants, who could at some point recommend a “call to action” for Islanders to submit additional comments in support of the Village’s concerns.

The final report, Environmental Impact Statement (EIS), and Record of Decision are expected to be released by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers this year (2026).

Below is a list of websites about this project:

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Website – Wilmington Harbor 403
N.C. Department of Environmental Quality Website – USACE Wilmington Harbor 403 Dredging Project Related Documents site (includes resolutions from BHI and surrounding communities)
North Carolina Ports Website – Wilmington Harbor Navigation Improvement Project

Wilmington Harbor Navigation Improvement Project

Also known as the Wilmington Harbor 403 Project

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