Beaufort is one of just 17 communities nationwide to earn an EPA grant that will help reduce flooding and drainage problems in the city’s historic Northwest Quadrant, Beaufort and EPA leaders announced.
The grant, valued at $50,000, will identify green infrastructure practices appropriate for the Northwest Quadrant and develop conceptual designs for priority projects to address flooding and help preserve the nearby marsh and Beaufort River ecosystems.
The Northwest Quadrant is an historic neighborhood established following the Civil War by freed slaves looking for work and stability.
“Not only will this grant improve drainage conditions in the Northwest Quadrant, but the solutions are aligned with our ‘green’ approach and also will probably apply to other flood-prone areas of Beaufort,” City Manager Scott Dadson said last Thursday.
With the EPA assistance, the city will create appropriate tools for the Northwest Quadrant that functionally improve the stormwater conditions and aesthetically improve the community.

In other stormwater-related news, the Beaufort City Council unanimously voted to raise the stormwater utility fee from $65 to $105 per year for taxpayers.