Sound Rivers’ Environmental Projects Coordinator Clay Barber and Pamlico-Tar Riverkeeper Jill Howell recently spent five days paddling the Pamlico River and its estuaries with Miller the pup on a mission to document environmental conditions.
pollution
City partners with groups, businesses to cut plastic waste
Wilmington officials have resolved to reduce plastic pollution and improve the city’s recycling program through outreach, education and support of businesses that minimize use of plastic straws and utensil.
Guest commentary: Where plastic flows into the ocean
Kemp Burdette of Cape Fear River Watch and Ann Colley of the Moore Charitable Foundation write that there’s an overlooked connection in our own backyards that funnels plastics toward major bodies of water and eventually the world’s oceans.
Plastics, lax enforcement blamed as roadside litter worsens
Volunteers who pick up litter along coastal NC roadways say plastic pollution is a growing part of the problem as the numbers of charges and convictions for littering dwindle.
3M Pounds of Roadside Litter Collected
NCDOT, which is hosting a Litter Sweep April 10-24, says it has collected more than 3 million pounds of litter from roadsides this year.
Residents Can Report Littering with New App
NCDOTs new Swat-A-Litterbug app allows users to report when they see other travelers toss trash from a vehicle.
NCDOT Collects 2M Pounds of Litter This Year
NCDOT crews, contractors and volunteers have collected more than 2 million pounds of litter from roadsides since Jan. 1.
Consumers Key to Reducing Plastic Waste
A recent study found that a 20% shift from consumption of small plastic bottles to larger plastic bottles could decrease U.S. plastic waste by 10,000 tons a year.
NCDOT Spring Litter Sweep Set for April
Those who want to help keep state roadways litter free can volunteer for the N.C. Department of Transportation’s Spring Litter Sweep April 10-24.
Researcher Weighs In On Coal Ash Rule Redo
Duke University researcher Avner Vengosh says the Trump administration’s proposed rewrite of coal ash disposal rules shifts the burden from utilities to the public.
Samples Suggest Unreported Coal Ash Spills
Contamination levels from coal ash in Lake Sutton’s sediment indicate a long-term process of unreported, unmonitored spills, according to findings of a Duke University study announced Monday.
Clean Water Secured for Coal Ash Neighbors
The state Department of Environmental Quality announced Friday that the permanent replacement of water supplies have been provided to all eligible households near Duke Energy coal ash facilities in North Carolina.
Coal Ash Rules Comment Period Extended
The N.C. Department of Environmental Quality has extended public comment period to April 6 on rules drafted to better protect public health and the environment when coal ash wastes are disposed of and recycled.
EPA Proposes Rollback of Coal Ash Rules
The EPA announced Thursday more than a dozen proposed changes to the 2015 rule that set minimum standards regulating the location, design and operation of coal ash landfills and surface impoundments at power plants nationwide.
DEQ Seeks Input on Draft Coal Ash Rules
The Department of Environmental Quality has scheduled three meetings in February, including one in Wilmington, to get public feedback on proposed rules to better protect public health and the environment when coal ash is disposed of and recycled.
Selenium Found in Fish From Coal Ash Lakes
A Duke University study published this week shows high levels of selenium in fish from lakes that receive coal ash waste from power plants, including Sutton Lake near Wilmington.
