This Land, Your Land

Kurt Repanshek of National Parks Traveler says various state and federal laws prevent Cape Hatteras National Seashore from effectively dealing with a flooding problem caused by the island park's high water table.

Cyndy Holda, the seashore's spokesman, told Repanshek that heavy rains this fall, including a drenching from Hurricane Irene, left standing water surrounding portions of Lighthouse Road near the Cape Point Campground, in the campground itself and at beach Ramp 44 (National Parks Traveler has photos). Several hundred yards of the eastern end of the road have been under 6-12 inches of standing water for weeks, she said.

Drainage ditches in the park predate the Wetlands Protection Act and other modern environmental laws, and when the National Park Service trenched some of the ditches in 2004, the North Carolina Division of Water Quality said they were in violation of state laws that prohibit draining wetlands, Holda said.

Cape Hatteras staff members will begin work this winter on an environmental impact statement about possible improvements to fix the problem, such as raising Lighthouse Road and constructing a proper drainage system underneath it, according to the report.