The North Carolina State Ports Authority has requested a formal suspension of its $1.3 billion Wilmington Harbor deepening project due to growing concerns over toxic forever chemicals.
In a letter to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, port officials asked to temporarily halt the massive expansion. The decision follows years of intense pushback from local residents and environmental groups. Critics warn that dredging 28 miles of the Cape Fear River will disturb sediment heavily contaminated with PFAS, threatening the regional ecosystem and coastal communities.
Officials say the pause is necessary to allow for deeper scientific research into the environmental risks.
