N.C. Department of Environmental Quality Secretary Reid Wilson said addressing PFAS and other emerging compounds is a top priority during the N.C. Water Resources Research Institute’s annual conference Thursday.
public health
NC officials promote joining state government workforce
Last week, NCDEQ officials and staff tried to recruit for the long-understaffed agency during a conference, and the governor’s office announced a website for those displaced due to Hurricane Helene or recent federal cuts.
EPA drinking water grant for Brunswick snarled by DOGE
The Trump administration tried to cancel as “wasteful” a $20 million federal award to help Brunswick County’s rural communities of Supply, Ash and Longwood replace lead water pipes and clean up nearby wetlands, while the cofounder of a recipient nonprofit insists, “Our grant is so much about community.”
Researchers to develop heat policy, risk interactive map
Duke’s Heat Policy Innovation Hub has been awarded $500,000 to design a web-based tool that is to help inform heat policies, assess heat risks in rural and coastal communities, and facilitate collaboration.
Buxton beach section at former military site to stay closed
Dare County health officials, in consultation with Cape Hatteras National Seashore, announced that a section of Buxton’s ocean shore will remain closed due to likely contamination.
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.
Update: PFAS groundwater rule OK’d for public comment
The North Carolina Environmental Management Commission on Thursday unanimously waived the normal 30-day public notice, expediting the rulemaking process covering the compounds classified as likely carcinogens.
State issues swimming advisory for Buxton, Rodanthe
N.C. Recreational Water Quality Program officials have issued a precautionary advisory warning against swimming in ocean waters near Corbina Drive in Rodanthe and near Cottage Avenue and Tower Circle in Buxton.
NC focuses on helping municipal water, sewer — not septic
Some towns are providing assistance for people on private systems, about half the state’s households.
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.
Precautionary swim advisory lifted for most oceanside sites
State recreational water quality officials lifted Wednesday the precautionary swimming advisory issued last week before Tropical Storm Debby’s sweep up the eastern Atlantic.
Brunswick County offers free testing of private well samples
Brunswick County Health Services announced Monday that it’s participating in a Northeastern University program to allow private well users in the area to get their samples analyzed for bacteria and metals at no charge during August.
As Debby ‘meanders,’ officials warn: Prepare for ‘deluge’
Gov. Roy Cooper warned Wednesday morning that “we must be on high alert” because slow-moving Tropical Storm Debby can bring dangerous conditions to a number of areas in the state.
Federal court backs EPA’s GenX health advisory
Chemours vows to continue legal challenges against the regulatory agency; and while environmentalists view the ruling as a victory, some legal experts suggest an unpredictable regulatory landscape going forward.
Court dismisses case challenging PFAS health advisory
A federal appeals court this week dismissed Chemours’ petition to review the Environmental Protection Agency’s advisory related to the toxicity of a compound used in the company’s GenX manufacturing.
Red flags fly on most North Carolina beaches
Red warning flags whip against the wind Friday in Atlantic Beach, notifying swimmers to not enter the water. Life-threatening rip currents were likely and the surf zone dangerous for all levels of swimmers on all North Carolina beaches north of Cape Fear Friday, according to the National Weather Service’s experimental Beach Forecast webpage, which is color-coded to indicate the forecast rip current risk level. Yellow flags indicating moderate conditions flew on Brunswick County beaches Friday. Conditions had improved to moderate to low risk Monday. Photo: Dylan Ray
