Nearly all who spoke Tuesday during a public hearing in Fayetteville criticized the North Carolina Environmental Management Commission’s proposed industrial discharge rules fail to protect the drinking water supply of people who live farther down the Cape Fear River.
water quality
Workshop to focus on resilience in unincorporated Dare
The North Carolina Resilient Coastal Communities Program is hosting an interactive development workshop on Tuesday that focuses on key preliminary findings from a coastal vulnerability and needs assessment of unincorporated Dare County.
EPA adds microplastics, pharmaceuticals to contaminant list
In a first, the Environmental Protection Agency has included microplastics and pharmaceuticals on its draft list of substances in public drinking water that are unregulated but merit further scientific scrutiny.
NCDOT gears up for this month’s spring litter sweep
The biannual statewide roadside litter removal initiative, usually held last two weeks of April and September, encourages residents to join efforts in their community to help clean up North Carolina’s roadways.
State accepting water restoration, management proposals
The North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality’s Division of Water Resources is accepting proposals for stream restoration, water-based restoration and water management projects.
New state Clean Water Act certification rules take effect
Applicants for permits for construction and other projects with impacts to waters or wetlands that meet thresholds and conditions under the state’s newly implemented general certification will be waived from the 30-day notice requirement.
Public comments regarding river basin transfer plan pour in
New issues of concern keep arising as officials in Wilmington and Brunswick County urge rejection of Fuquay-Varina’s plan on file with the state to take more than 6 million gallons per day from the Cape Fear River to meet its growth demands.
Creek Week to connect residents with region’s waterways
Cape Fear Creek Week, scheduled for March 14-21, offers a variety of opportunities to connect participates with local waterways of the Cape Fear Region.
Public hearings set on proposed wastewater discharge rules
Six public hearings scheduled for next month through May will cover proposed PFAS and 1,4-dixoane monitoring and minimization rules governing wastewater discharges into North Carolina’s surface waters.
Stein, Wilson tour Cape Fear Utility water treatment plant
Gov. Josh Stein and NCDEQ Secretary Reid Wilson this week visited Cape Fear Public Utility Authority’s Sweeney Water Treatment Plant in Wilmington, where they announced a $17.8 million grant from the state to support the replacement and capacity upgrade of one of the utility’s reclamation facilities.
Population growth to impact water infrastructure: Forum
The 2026 Emerging Issues Forum held last week evaluated challenges associated with the state’s aging water infrastructure and its workforce, and possible solutions.
Coastal commission holds off changing septic system rules
The North Carolina Coastal Resources Commission is holding off on amendments to oceanfront septic tank rules to give the state’s environmental and health departments time to collaborate on the rulemaking process.
Restoration plan for lower New River geared to advance
As work on restoring the upper reaches of the exclusively Onslow County river is on track for completion next year, Coastal Carolina Riverwatch is finalizing the Lower New River Watershed Restoration Plan, which looks toward areas where saltwater creeks drain into shellfish waters.
Amid record growth, groups protect tracts from development
Population growth on the North Carolina coast has ramped up pressure on conservation groups to acquire and set aside land, such as the more than 2,000 acres in coastal counties recently protected from development, areas with natural landscape features that reduce flood risk, improve water quality and provide vital habitat.
Judge upholds that DEQ can set wastewater permit limits
A Wake County Superior Court decision upholds that N.C. Department of Environmental Quality has the authority to set limits of 1,4-dioxane discharges from public wastewater utilities.
Winter storm takes 4 Buxton houses, leaves inches of snow
The weekend storm that covered North Carolina with more than a foot of snow in some places caused four unoccupied Buxton houses to collapse in about 24 hours on Cape Hatteras National Seashore beaches.
