RALEIGH – The N.C. Department of Transportation Hydraulics Unit garnered special recognition over the weekend for its efforts to protect and improve water quality.
The Unit was named one of three coastwide winners of a 2022 Pelican Award during the N.C. Coastal Federation's annual event held Saturday in Morehead City.
The Pelican Award honors volunteers, businesses, agencies and organizations that go above and beyond to ensure a healthy North Carolina coast for future generations.
The Federation commended the group for its dedicated advancement of nature-based resilience initiatives, like the Unit's work on the living shoreline project along N.C. 24. That project is part of NCDOT's effort to make more than 500 miles of coastal roads resilient to storms using nature-based solutions.
“The [NCDOT Hydraulics] Unit is on the cutting edge of research and advancement of effective stormwater management," the Federation said in a release announcing this year's Pelican Award winners.
The Hydraulics Unit has partnered with the N.C. Coastal Federation for more than 20 years on various projects and educational opportunities.
“We both want to protect our environment, ensure our economy is thriving, and ensure those special areas of our state where people want to visit, work and play remain accessible," said State Hydraulics Engineer Stephen Morgan.
The Unit is also being recognized for its help in the development of the Nature-based Stormwater Strategies Action Plan released by the Federation and The Pew Charitable Trusts in 2021.
“I want to thank the great work of my staff, who alongside our partners at the Coastal Federation, were able to leverage resources, expertise, and educational opportunities to make our projects truly successful for all involved," Morgan said. “We were very excited to receive the Pelican Award and look forward to continuing our efforts with this important work."