Beaufort neighborhood needs tidal flood gates

Thank you so much for your timely article about the sea level task force report. Unfortunately, one of the strategies to protect the Mossy Oaks and Southside areas was not included in your reporting.

The task force report highlights “the good fortune of an elevated railroad bed separating them from rising sea level.” There are flow pipes along the Spanish Moss Trail that feed small tidal ponds. “These pipes currently do not have water flow restrictors as the Federal Street Pond has.”

The report states the necessity of restrictors, or tidal flood gates, to protect these communities from a 3-foot and higher rise in sea level. A tidal gate, such as the one on Federal Street, would reduce the stress on the drainage system during high tides and/or heavy rains and offer protection from supertides and storm surges.

The tidal pond on First Boulevard has been overwhelmed by tides and rain resulting in recent undercutting of First Boulevard and new sink areas adjacent to Battery Creek Road. Residents in this area suffered greatly during Hurricane Matthew and some neighbors still cannot reside in their homes.

We already have detrimental effects from supertides to backyards, erosion along the trail, and the anxiety of another hurricane season.

We would like to experience “the good fortune of the elevated railroad bed” and the installation of a tidal flood gate(s) is a logical and doable solution.

This story was originally published June 10, 2017 at 6:00 AM with the headline "Beaufort neighborhood needs tidal flood gates."