Since Hurricane Matthew hit Robeson County in 2016, local municipalities have worked to upgrade storm drainage systems and other utility upgrades.
LUMBERTON – Drainage and stormwater issues have surfaced as major concerns for municipalities throughout eastern North Carolina.
Much of that is due to the major storms that have blown through the area in the years since a powerful Hurricane Matthew brought widespread flooding and destruction to Lumberton in 2016.
The city of Lumberton is no different.
On Monday night, the Robeson County Board of Commissioners heard from Megan Chavis, the attorney for the Robeson County Drainage District Commission. She was joined at the podium by Lee Oxendine, a 59-year-old Maxton farmer who volunteers with the Back Swamp Drainage Commission.
“We’re in a mud puddle,” he said, addressing board chairman Tom Taylor. “Everybody knows what it costs now, looking at what to do and what it costs us. The money that we receive is not enough. StRAP money has worked good. The county has helped Black Swamp with some of the StRAP, and we’ve been able to do some good work. We’ve got a nonprofit coming aboard, and they’re going to help us go a little further.
“Our regular maintenance — we don’t have enough money to do regular maintenance,” Taylor said.
StRAP funds, as defined online, are meant to support projects that restore and protect drainage infrastructure of both natural streams and small watershed structural projects to prevent future flooding, restore streams, and reduce risks to life and property.
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The Commissioners of Robeson County Drainage Districts include 1,2 and 4. Those districts are made up of the Back Swamp, Jacob Swamp, Moss Neck and Meadow Branch watersheds.
The Drainage District Commission has calculated the cost of maintenance, and for the record, each district would need $100,000 for general maintenance, according to Chavis.
“We were there just to make the county aware of the needs of the districts because it’s sort of a partnership,” she said after the meeting on Wednesday. “The districts run within the county. We run into the borders of drainage, maintenance.”
Those districts run into city limits and county lines as far as maintenance for drainage, Chavis said. “It all runs together.”
Their purpose for addressing the Board of Commissioners was to make its members aware of the districts’ needs and estimated costs.
“The county has been such a support to us as far as financially help us with maintenance and any other ongoing projects we need help with,” she said in the separate interview. “The county has offered help, and we supplement each other’s projects as far as grants. … We try to corroborate on what areas where applying our funds to so that we help each other.”
The funds being requested are in addition to what is received through maintenance assessment. That additional money, which is unavailable through the maintenance assessments, is earmarked for general maintenance in the districts.
“Those funds are the only really funds we get in for general maintenance in the districts, and there’s not enough to cover the expenses to try to get that done. We were just making them aware that these are needs,” Chavis said.
Generally, she added, $100,000 per district is the amount it would take “to be able to maintain the drainage districts throughout the year.”
No action was taken.
Commissioners were invited to attend the monthly drainage district meeting that is normally held the third Thursday of the month. The next one, however, is set for 8:15 a.m. July 27 at the Robeson County Zoning and Planning building.
The building is at 435 Caton Road in Lumberton.
Reach Michael Futch by email at mfutch@www.robesonian.com.
