The North Carolina Coastal Resources Commission will hold a public hearing in Wilmington about its study of the feasibility and advisability of the use of terminal groins – engineering structures – for erosion control on the North Carolina coast. The public hearing will be on Wednesday, Feb. 17.

“The idea of using structures on the coast of North Carolina is not well-received, in general,” said Rick Catlin, chairman of the Wilmington-New Hanover County Port, Waterways and Beach Commission. However, the commission has not taken a stance on the issue.

Last year, the General Assembly mandated a study to be conducted about the impact such structures along the coast would have. Now that a draft of the study has been completed, the N.C. Coastal Resources Commission is conducting public hearings to present the findings and receive public comment. The meeting in Wilmington will be the fourth of five scheduled public hearings.

“North Carolina is one of the few coastal areas in the world that prohibits structures on the coast. And for the large part, that’s very good. But, it does limit engineers being able to stabilize things,” Catlin said.

The public hearing will be held at the New Hanover County government building located at 230 Government Center Drive on Feb. 17 at 4:30 p.m. The commission will hold its regular meeting, which is open to the public at 10 a.m.