Nov. 1--WHALEHEAD BEACH, N.C. -- Construction on a long-awaited project to control flooding in Corolla's Whalehead Beach community could start in January, but with a higher price tag.

Estimated costs have climbed to $5.25 million from last year's figure of $3.7 million.

Currituck County commissioners could raise the local flood-district tax to 5.5 cents from 4 cents per $100 of property value or a draw from occupancy-tax revenues, county engineer Eric Weatherly said during a workshop Wednesday. The 4-cent tax raises about $356,000 annually.

At the meeting, commissioners supported using occupancy taxes -- extra fees charged on beach rentals -- but no vote was taken.

"I don't think we need to put an extra tax on these people in this economy," Commissioner Gene Gregory said.

In the Currituck Outer Banks, Whalehead Beach is one of the neighborhoods that flood most often. A taxed district of more than 800 property owners, formed in 2003, sought solutions, including shallow roadside ditches.

But in 2006, a rainstorm, followed by Tropical Storm Ernesto, swamped homes and streets with water contaminated by septic tanks and household hazardous waste.

People waded in knee-deep water across streets to get to the beach. Pumps siphoned untreated water into the ocean for days.

Afterward, residents supported a bigger, better strategy, even if it meant a higher tax. The county raised the district tax to 4 cents from 1 cent and hired the engineering firm Moffatt & Nichol.

Last year, the firm presented a plan that included removing the pavement from five short streets in Whalehead Beach and converting them into basins that would look much like rain gardens. Boardwalks would span the basins.

Phase I is set to begin in January with Coral and Marlin streets. Phase II would start in January 2011 on Tuna and Barracuda streets. Phase III would begin in 2012 on Mackerel Street.

As part of the strategy, pipes and pumps would drain the underground water table, allowing room for floodwater to naturally filter through the basins.

Typically, the water table is about 5 feet below the surface there. Lowering the water table to make room for floodwater is a relatively new idea, Weatherly said.

"Everybody's interested in this project to see if it's useful for them," Weatherly said. "I think it could be a model for the entire Outer Banks."

Construction was set to begin about a year ago, but the state permitting agencies balked at the idea of pumping excess water into sand dunes. The state preferred pumping the water to holding ponds, Weatherly said.

More engineering and extra pipe and pumps to do that delayed construction and increased the price by $1.55 million, he said.

One storm pond sits near the Corolla Light community and would drain the north end of Whalehead Beach.

The other pond, near the TimBuck II commercial area, would drain the south end, the area most prone to flooding.

Jeff Hampton, (252) 338-0159, jeff.hampton@pilotonline.com

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