Division of Coastal Management officials announced Thursday that Sloop Point Marina in Pender County and Calabash Marina in Brunswick County have been certified as North Carolina Clean Marinas.
DEQ
Division sets training sessions for observer trip scheduling
The Division of Marine Fisheries is hosting a series of public outreach meetings to train fishermen on the Observer Trip Scheduling System for estuarine gill net permitholders in North Carolina.
DEQ adds applications for 4 permit types to online portal
The Department of Environmental Quality said the additions were part of a continuing effort to update and improve the permitting process.
Coastal commission lawyer: CAMA a 50-year ‘balancing act’
Coastal Resources Commission legal counsel Mary Lucasse, speaking during a recent legal symposium in New Bern, said the Coastal Area Management Act balances development and private property rights with protecting natural resources.
Descender devices: Safely resend released fish to their depth
Bringing up a fish too quickly is rough on the fish, and if not a keeper, releasing it improperly results in barotrauma, meaning the poor thing is shark bait — that’s where descenders come in.
State funding available for hurricane damage to beaches
Funding can only be used for costs associated with beach nourishment, artificial dunes and other projects to mitigate or remediate coastal storm damage to the ocean beaches and dune systems of the state.
Waste discharge agreement moves toward becoming rule
The Environmental Management Commission has advanced proposed changes that would codify an existing, long-term agreement with an association of wastewater dischargers into the Tar-Pamlico River Basin.
State Artificial Reef Program looking for advisers, input
Regional advisers and public feedback are needed to recommend materials and reef sites for enhancements in five areas over five years.
Science panel applies 2022 sea level report projections to NC
The Coastal Resources Commission’s science panel has released its “North Carolina 2024 Sea Level Rise Science Update” that applies the findings of a 2022 federal-level sea level rise technical report to North Carolina.
State sets temporary allowable PFAS limits in groundwater
The North Carolina Division of Water Resources released interim maximum allowable concentrations to help define cleanup targets for groundwater contaminated with high levels of the chemical compounds.
Van der Vaart: Likely carcinogen does not equal carcinogen
Chief Administrative Law Judge and Director of the Office of Administrative Hearings Dr. Donald van der Vaart revoked permit limits of 1,4-dioxane for municipal wastewater treatment plants that discharge a compound the EPA calls a likely human carcinogen into the drinking water sources of tens of thousands.
Cooper names Mary Penny Kelley as new DEQ secretary
Mary Penny Kelley has been named as the new secretary of the Department of Environmental Quality.
Division awards $2.8 million in public water access grants
The Division of Coastal Management made the awards to 14 local governments to improve public access to coastal beaches and waters.
Swim advisories posted for Carteret, New Hanover sites
Routine water testing revealed that bacteria levels at the accesses on sounds in Carteret County and New Hanover County exceed state and Environmental Protection Agency recreational water quality standards.
Commission advances rule for straw bales in lieu of fencing
The Coastal Resources Commission on Wednesday unanimously approved the fiscal impact analysis of the proposed rule, which officials don’t expect to result in a significant increase in the use of straw bales to curb erosion.
EJ council to hold public mapping tool meetings
Virtual meetings are scheduled for the next three Tuesdays for the Governor’s Environmental Justice Advisory Council’s mapping and public engagement subcommittees to review with the public a new environmental justice mapping tool and answer questions.
