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Floodplain Management
Welcome to Brunswick County Floodplain Management! We provide educational materials and building oversight in flood-prone areas to ensure property owners take appropriate measures to help minimize the damage that flooding can cause during and after events. This website will provide helpful information whether you are a resident, building, or buying. Our contact information is provided to further assist you.
Floodplain Management is a division of Brunswick County Code Administration. The goal of Floodplain Management is to provide educational materials and building oversight in flood-prone areas to ensure property owners take appropriate measures to help minimize the damage that flooding can cause during and after events.
In 1986, Brunswick County adopted a Flood Damage Prevention Ordinance (PDF) along with the Flood Insurance Rate Maps (FIRMs) thereby entering into the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP). Participating in the NFIP affords property owners in Brunswick County the ability to purchase federally-subsidized flood insurance which provides substantial savings in annual premiums. This also allows homeowners and business owners eligibility for low-interest federal grants and loans from such agencies at HUD and the SBA following a federally declared disaster.
Non-Encroachment Areas (NEAs)
For all contractors, surveyors, and engineers; please consult the Floodways and Non-Encroachment Areas (PDF) document for important information concerning Non-Encroachment Areas (NEAs) as they relate to flood zone identification and the calculations necessary to determine how to correctly proceed with projects located in these highly restrictive development areas.
Read the article: “Millions of Americans think they’re safe from flood waters. They aren’t” (USA Today, June 29, 2020).
View the Flood Damage Prevention Ordinance (PDF), look up your flood hazard zone, or learn about flood insurance.
Approved Caw Caw and Little Caw Caw Floodway Mapping
The maps linked below depict the results of the Hydrology and Hydraulic (H&H) study of the Caw Caw and Little Caw Caw canal systems for floodplain areas surrounding and within the Brunswick Plantation and Crow Creek developments This new mapping was reviewed and accepted by both the North Carolina Department of Public Safety’s Floodplain Mapping Program and FEMA. Letters have been sent to impacted property owners with information concerning their property's new status. These new statuses will go into effect on September 19, 2025.
The purpose of the H&H study was to accurately establish a floodway for the Caw Caw Canal and Little Caw Caw Canal floodplains that will replace the Non-Encroachment Area (NEA) for the two waterways. The Non-Encroachment Area was established in 2006 using limited cross-sectional data and older topographic information available at that time. The recent H&H study is based on a new analysis using improved topographic data, storm modeling, and field-verified cross-sectional data of the two waterways.
The results from the H&H study are important and useful for property owners to better understand how flooding events could impact their property and surrounding properties, including any structures (like homes) that currently exist or could be built on these lots in the future. A property’s new status will determine what kind of building and permitting requirements the property must follow should the owner ever build a new structure and/or conduct renovations to existing structures and other improvements on the property.
Generally, most properties will experience one of these three potential outcomes related to the new mapping:
- A property (with or without a house) was previously located within the NEA, and will now be located within the newly established floodway
- A property (with or without a house) was previously located within the NEA, and will now be located outside of the newly established floodway
- A property (with or without a house) was located in the AE Flood Zone outside of the NEA, and will now be located within the newly established floodway
Flood Zone versus Floodway
It is important to note that the flood zone designation is not changing regardless of whether a property falls within the newly established floodway. All properties analyzed for Non-Encroachment Area/floodway impacts are currently within the AE Flood Zone and will still remain within this zone after FEMA approves the new status designations in the H&H study report.
The AE Flood Zone is considered a special flood hazard area at a high risk of flooding. The results from the H&H study may minimally adjust the base floodplain elevations of the existing floodplain (AE Flood Zone) based on the latest data available for ground topography and storm intensity models for hydrology calculations and land use that reflects the current uses.
Resources & Contact Information
You are welcome to reach out to Floodplain Management with any questions using our staff’s contact information below or via email at floodplain.management@brunswickcountync.gov.
- James Paggioli, CFM, Floodplain Administrator: 910.253.2054
- Steffan Taube, CFM, Floodplain Administrator: 910.253.2822
Maps
- Map 1 (PDF) represents the Approved New Floodway, The existing NEA areas, and the proposed AE Flood Zone (light blue shading) and the proposed Shaded X (0.2 % or 500 yr storm in yellow.)
- Map 2 (PDF) represents the same data with the existing AE Zones beneath it in a Darker Blue shading.
Resources
- Floodway & NEA FAQ Sheet (PDF)(Latest version as of June 2025)
- H&H Study Presentation – July 2025 (PowerPoint)