A former manager at a chemical processing company in Navassa has pleaded guilty to knowingly discharging tens of thousands of gallons of chemicals directly into the Cape Fear River.
water quality
EPA to NC: Solvent discharge limits deadline ‘mandatory’
A pending lawsuit notwithstanding, the Environmental Protection Agency has put North Carolina on notice: There’s no extension of the time frames for addressing the federal agency’s objections regarding the discharge of 1,4 dioxane into waters upstream of the Cape Fear.
EPA adds 9 more PFAS to chemical reporting requirements
Nine additional per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances have been added to the EPA’s annual Toxics Release Inventory reporting requirements.
Commission to mull groundwater rules for 4 substances
The Environmental Management Commission will hear the Division of Water Resources director’s recommendation for standards to replace the interim maximum allowable concentrations for three herbicides and a fungicide.
Pender, Brunswick businesses now certified clean marinas
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.
Proposed revised state rule aligns with federal PFAS limits
The N.C. Department of Environmental Quality will accept comments through February 2025 on a proposed rule revision that would adopt federal limits of certain PFAS in drinking water provided by public utilities.
Planning association awards Duck for its shoreline project
Duck, in Dare County, recently received national recognition for its work incorporating sustainability and resilience principles in flood prevention, habitat restoration and N.C. Highway 12 improvements along Currituck Sound.
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.
Whales that use echolocation mistake plastic for prey: study
A Duke University doctoral candidate in a new study found that deep-diving whales that rely on sound to forage for food are mistaking plastic for prey.
Commission sets vote on Tar-Pamlico wastewater hearing
The Environmental Management Commission, when it meets this month, is to consider approving a public notice and hearing on proposed revisions to wastewater-discharge rules put in place to reduce fish kills, harmful algal blooms and other longstanding water quality problems in the Pamlico estuary.
Pender County moves to rid public waters of junk boats
Pender County became the latest coastal North Carolina government to adopt rules enforcing the removal of abandoned and derelict vessels from waterways.
Groups partner to organize Wilmington watershed cleanup
Cape Fear River Watch is partnering with Keep New Hanover Beautiful for its Second Saturday Cleanup, which will take place from 9-11 a.m. Nov. 9 in the Smith Creek Watershed at the intersection of Princess Place Drive and Evans Street in Wilmington.
Online survey to help guide coastal management strategies
North Carolina Division of Coastal Management officials are in the process of determining priority areas for the 2026-2030 cycle of the Section 309 Assessment and Strategy, and are asking for public input.
10K grant available for water resources research project
North Carolina Water Resources Research Institute and North Carolina Sea Grant are accepting proposals for the $10,000 Mountains to Sea Graduate Research Fellowship until 5 p.m. Dec. 16.
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.
Clean Cape Fear founders to urge UN act on PFAS
A Wilmington-area community action group intends to “shine a spotlight on business-related human rights abuses associated with PFAS contamination in North Carolina” this week at the United Nations headquarters in New York City.
