The Granville County Soil and Water Conservation Office is looking for eligible properties to participate in a new program to fund preventative improvements to local waterways and reduce flooding hazards.
The Streamflow Rehabilitation Assistance Program (StRAP), administered by the N.C. Soil and Water Conservation Commission, has $38 million to be used to reduce flooding across the state’s waterways. The N.C. General Assembly approved the money to create the StRAP, which will allocate money for projects that protect and restore the integrity of drainage infrastructure.
Projects could include:
- Clearing debris or sediment that has blocked streams and drainage ways
- Stabilizing and restoring streams and streambanks
- Rehabilitating or improving certain small watershed structural projects that were previously constructed
“This is a monumental step to help us prevent future flooding,” said N.C. Agriculture Commissioner Steve Troxler. “While we have previously secured federal and state money to clear debris from waterways after flooding events such as hurricanes, those efforts were reactive approaches that were part of disaster recovery funds. StRAP now allows us to be proactive in clearing waterways so we can hopefully reduce flooding and protect people’s property before the next big flood event happens. I’m grateful that the General Assembly understood the need for this program.”
Interested property owners are encouraged to contact Granville County Natural Resource Conservationist Byron Currin at 919.693.4603 or byron.currin@granvillecounty.org to explore the feasibility for StRAP funded projects.