It's Raining Cats and Dogs!
“Did you ever wonder if the person in the puddle is real, and you're just a reflection of him?” – Bill Watterson
by Justin LeBlanc
About the only residents or visitors who enjoy the major standing puddles in the village of Ocracoke are the mallards, and we outnumber them (for now). To address these major car, golf cart, bicycle, pedestrian, and health hazards the Ocracoke Civic & Business Association created a Storm Water Task Force in the Fall of 2013. I was appointed Chair of the Task Force. While it has taken longer than expected or desired, after a number of meetings with the public, the North Carolina Department of Transportation, and the Ocracoke Mosquito Control Board; we believe we have come up with a workable formula to mitigate some of the worst puddles.
The challenge has been that there is no comprehensive drainage “system” on Ocracoke. There is only an ad hoc system of culverts, ditches, and drainage channels crossing both public and private property and lacking complete inter-connectedness.
Nonetheless, we have found an approach that can work: If the Ocracoke Mosquito Control Board installs culverts across public and private property with the property owners consent from a puddling area to an existing drainage; the NCDOT will install boxes and grates in the roadway that tie into those connections. The Mosquito Control Board believes this is consistent with their mission to remove standing water to reduce mosquito breeding areas. It also has sufficient funds at this time to continue its current mosquito control activities and address 1-2 major puddles per year.
Our first puddle to address is the one on Back Road between Secret Garden Gallery and Old Pony Road, often referred to as the “Blackbeard’s Puddle” due to its presence right at the Blackbeard’s Lodge road sign. Hyde County contributed their engineer’s time to assess and draw up the plans and the Mosquito Control Board had the project out for bid until May 18th. Once awarded to the successful bidder the project will actually occur in June (right before or right after the OcraFolk Festival) or in September to avoid the peak summer tourist season.
The next puddle on our list is the one on Back Road and Fig Tree Lane. After that we will re-evaluate our list of major puddles and make additional decisions. If you believe there is a major puddle that needs to be addressed please let the OCBA know.
While we will never alleviate storm-based flooding nor mitigate every puddle on Ocracoke, it is our hope that getting rid of the worst of them will improve the quality of life for residents and lead to a better experience for our visitors. I don’t think anyone will miss a few mallards.
