(The Center Square) – Surf City and White Lake, a pair of southeastern North Carolina vacation destination spots roughly 75 miles apart, have a combined $300 million funding stake in federal legislation having reached the U.S. Senate.
The Water Resources Development Act of 2026, known also as House Resolution 9497, had the backing of all 14 North Carolinians in the U.S. House of Representatives in a 415-9 passage. At stake for Surf City on the coast is a 50-year, $292.8 million federal beach renourishment project for the dunes system and long-term resilience of Topsail Island.
Water, wastewater, stormwater and other environmental infrastructure improvements for long-term resilience at White Lake in Bladen County is helped by authorization of $40 million in the proposal.
“WRDA 2026 delivers for southeast North Carolina, moving critical federal water infrastructure projects forward more efficiently and helping meet the needs of communities across our region,” said sixth-term Republican Rep. David Rouzer.
He’s the representative for the 7th Congressional District that includes both communities. His challenge for reelection is Democrat Kimberly Hardy and Libertarian Maad Abu-Ghazalah.
“The House passage,” he said, “brings us another step closer to strengthening our communities and making our homes and businesses more resilient to future natural disasters.”
Visitor spending for 2025 in North Carolina was more than $37.2 billion. Employment directly associated included more than 230,000 jobs and $9.8 billion in payroll, the state Commerce Department says. The estimated annual tax savings per resident in Pender and Onslow counties – Surf City straddles the county line – is $230.46 and $134.68, respectively; in Bladen County it is $140.79.
Visitor spending was more than $414 million in Onslow County, more than $203 million in Pender County, and more than $56 million in Bladen County.
Rouzer said the bill is pivotal for many because of its ties to agricultural production, protection of homes and businesses from natural disasters, and strength given to ports and waterways. Agriculture and agribusiness are a $102 billion annual economic impact for North Carolina, with about 42,500 farms operated on 8.1 million acres from Murphy to Manteo. The state is eighth in the nation in value of agricultural products sold, 14th in exports.
Also in the district and the proposal are flood risk management studies in Whiteville’s Waccamaw River Basin, Fayetteville’s Cross Creek Watershed and in the town of Topsail Beach. There is also a water supply and ecosystem restoration feasibility study of the Cape Fear River in Cumberland County designed to identify new opportunities for regional water supply, removing hazardous substances and strengthening the long-term health of the river.
Nationally, the bill authored by Missouri Republican Rep. Sam Graves has 10 major U.S. Army Corps of Engineers projects (Surf City is one); 131 feasibility studies for locally proposed projects; and policy guidance for implementation by the Corps.
Graves, chairman of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee in the House, said in a release, “WRDA 2026 makes significant improvements across the country to our inland waterways, ports and harbors, flood protection, and other critical water infrastructure. This bill also makes common-sense reforms to the Army Corps of Engineers’ policies, empowers local communities, and expedites project delivery.”