The New River snakes fifty miles through Onslow County, but for conservationists, it’s a tale of two very different waterways.
Coastal Carolina Riverwatch is now finalizing a "one river, two plans" strategy to protect the basin. The first phase, focused on the Lower New River, is wrapping up this year. It targets the saltwater creeks and shellfish waters near Jacksonville. Next year, the focus shifts to the Upper New River, addressing the freshwater systems that flow through the growing farms and neighborhoods of Richlands.
It’s a major comeback for a river that was so polluted in the nineteen-eighties that it was closed to the public for nearly two decades.
Executive Director Lisa Rider says this new approach uses a collaborative roundtable of scientists and residents to identify specific problems—like bacteria levels and storm runoff—before they become crises.
Local officials are already on board. Jacksonville is expanding its "Oyster Highway," while Onslow County leaders recently passed a resolution favoring "low-impact" development, like permeable pavement and pocket wetlands, for future projects.
