Getting the ok to develop marshlands 



So you own a piece of coastal property 

 and would like to develop it. If your land 

 classifies as marsh, you might like to bone 

 up on procedures to follow before making 

 any changes in your land and the services 

 available to you from the Estuarine Studies 

 Section of the Division of Marine Fisheries 

 in Morehead City. 



In North Carolina marsh is defined as 

 those lands that are subject to regular or 

 occasional flooding by sound water due to 

 anything other than winds of gale or hur- 

 ricane force. The state's law on developing 

 marsh requires that anyone planning to 

 excavate or do fill work in estuarine waters 

 or marshlands get a permit. 



The purpose of dredge and fill legislation 

 wasn't to stop all development. It was 

 designed, instead, to encourage the type of 

 development that is compatible with marsh 

 and estuarine environments. 



The Estuarine Studies Section offers a 

 consulting service to assist potential de- 

 velopers in making plans that will meet 

 state requirements. The consultants are 

 available to help draw up plans that 

 might be acceptable to developers and state 

 review agencies. 



Application for state and federal permits 

 can be made on the same form and sub- 



mitted to the Division of Marine Fisheries 

 Estuarine Studies Section. Applications 

 for state permits are reviewed by 12 state 

 agencies and can be commented on by 

 adjoining property owners. The U. S. Army 

 Corps of Engineers directs applications to 

 the proper agencies for the federal permit. 



If your permit application is not ap- 

 proved, you can request a hearing. A seven- 

 man review board will hear your case and 

 can override the state's denial of a permit. 



After a permit is granted, the Estuarine 

 Studies Section conducts a regular moni- 

 toring program to make sure changes in 

 the marsh are made in accordance with the 

 permit. Regular aerial surveys and on-site 

 visits are made by enforcement personnel. 



Those cited for not following plans ex- 

 pressed in their permit will be taken to 

 court. If convicted, the developer must 

 begin operating within the permit's limits 

 and often must pay a fine and the costs of 

 restoring areas that were changed without 

 permission. 



Further information on dredge and fill 

 requirements can be obtained from the 

 Estuarine Studies Section of the Division 

 of Marine Fisheries, Morehead City, N.C., 

 (919) 726-7021. 



A study of marsh microbes 



(Continued from page 3) 



contribute substantially to the nutritional value of 

 detritus. 



Hobbie is looking at the number of microbes that 

 accumulate on detritus as it ages and at different 

 times during the year. His project also aims to 

 determine the effects of such environmental factors 

 as temperature, salinity and the quantity of nitro- 

 gen and phosphorous on the production of bacteria. 



A third goal is to establish the rate at which many 

 bacteria are used by young fish and invertebrates 

 as they eat detritus. 



Hobbie's work is in an early stage, but results 

 should be useful to agencies managing marsh and 

 fishery resources. If, for example, his research 

 showed that nutrients added to the marsh increased 

 the number of bacteria and fish production in- 

 creased as a result, decisions to dispose of nutrient- 

 rich sewage in marsh might be justified. 



University of North Carolina 

 Sea Grant Program 

 1235 Burlington Laboratories 

 North Carolina State University 

 Raleigh, N.C. 27607 



Second-class postage paid at Raleigh, N. C. 

 27611 



