The Southern Environmental Law Center on behalf Cape Fear River Watch, MountainTrue, and Yadkin Riverkeeper has petitioned the N.C. Environmental Management Commission to rule that the state must force industries to install technologies that stop pollution at the source.
pollution
Saltwater fish may be in future Cape Fear health advisories
Results of saltwater fish tissue currently being analyzed for perfluorooctane sulfonic acid, or PFOS, are expected later this year, wrapping up a study of multiple species of fish collected from the Cape Fear River.
Study is first to sample NC rivers, streams for microplastics
North Carolina researchers have estimated the amount of plastic pollution the size of grains of sand that are entering the Pamlico Sound from the Neuse River Basin. It’s a lot.
Ongoing study may show overlooked algal bloom causes
A year into a 30-month public science study, preliminary data appears to show that higher than expected nutrient loads in minor tributaries may contribute to increasingly regular and persistent blue-green algal blooms in northeastern North Carolina rivers.
Riverkeeper blasts state’s public notice of hog waste spill
Riverkeeper Kemp Burdette calls a press release put out last week by the N.C. Department of Environmental Quality “pathetic.”
Bladen farm releases untreated animal waste into creek
A faulty recirculation pipe at Murphy-Brown Farm discharged nearly 30,000 gallons of untreated waste from Murphy-Brown Farm into a tributary of the Cape Fear River.
Whales may be ingesting millions of microplastics daily
Researchers in California have found that blue whales may be consuming 10 million pieces of microplastics per day, humpback whales may be consuming 200,000 pieces per day
Dock debris following Ian ‘worst we’ve seen,’ crews say
Environmental stewards contend that the debris contracted commercial fishers are removing makes the case that North Carolina needs to reinstate building codes for residential docks and piers.
ECU, NCDEQ selected for pollution-prevention grants
East Carolina University and the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality are among 32 recipients across the country that are to receive more than $9 million in pollution prevention grants from the Environmental Protection Agency.
Toxins study notes Clean Water Act’s ‘unfulfilled promise’
The upper New and the lower Cape Fear River watersheds were two of the nation’s top five watersheds with the highest amounts of toxins discharged in 2020, according to the new study from the N.C. Public Interest Research Group.
Groups join case challenging NC Rules Review Commission
Gov. Roy Cooper’s lawsuit contends that the legislature-appointed commission that reviews and approves — or rejects — rules adopted by state agencies is unconstitutional.
Groups challenge NC’s biogas general permit for hog farms
The Environmental Justice Community Action Network contend the Department of Environmental Quality’s biogas general permit for large-scale hog farms put communities at risk.
Chemours challenges EPA health advisory for GenX
Chemours has sued the Environmental Protection Agency, claiming the EPA acted unlawfully in recently setting a health advisory for GenX.
EPA proposes excavating Navassa treated wood-storage site
Environmental Protection Agency officials announced a plan Tuesday to remove as much as 12 inches of soil from a roughly 1.6-acre portion of the former Kerr-McGee Corp. site where chemically treated wood was once stored.
Health advisories for GenX, PFAS announced at conference
Radhika Fox, the Environmental Protection Agency’s assistant administrator for water, announced new and updated federal health advisories for GenX and related substances Wednesday during a meeting on emerging compounds held in Wilmington.
State officials warn of potentially polluted swimming areas
State recreational water quality officials said swimmers should avoid swimming in waters near exposed pipes and should be particularly cautious in areas of Rodanthe and Buxton.
