The swimming advisory posted Thursday is for the Sandy Bay sound-side access near Frisco, along the Cape Hatteras National Seashore.
water quality
State lifts swimming advisories at two Morehead City sites
Testing shows bacteria levels had dropped below the state’s and Environmental Protection Agency’s standards set for swimming and water play.
Hearings set on draft animal feeding operations permits
Public comment is due by Nov. 3 on general permits for eligible nondischarge swine, cattle and poultry facilities with liquid waste management systems, and animal feeding operations with farm digester systems.
Comment deadline Oct. 2 on proposed fisheries rule changes
A public hearing is set for Aug. 16 in Morehead City for the 103 proposed rule changes to be considered by the N.C. Marine Fisheries Commission for oyster sanctuaries, the shellfish lease program, and commercial shellfish sanitation.
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.
Carteret offers three new oyster recycling drop-off sites
New and newly decorated oyster shell recycling drop-off dumpsters are now in place at three county convenience sites.
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.
Swimming advisory issued for Bogue Sound public access
Recreational water quality officials found bacteria levels in the water at the Sunset Drive public access in Morehead City that exceed state and federal recreational water quality standards.
Analysis: Farm Act axes motive to protect shoreline trees
Water quality advocates worry that the reduced civil penalty in this year’s Farm Act for removing trees in riparian buffers may result in tree loss in protected shorelines.
Toxic Cape Fear fish on science board’s Aug. 2 agenda
Information on a recent advisory by the state to avoid eating fish contaminated with forever chemicals from the Cape Fear River is on the agenda for the Aug. 2 Secretaries’ Science Advisory Board’s meeting.
Coastal water, wastewater projects selected for funding
A total of $223 million in water and wastewater infrastructure funding is being awarded to 60 projects in 40 counties.
Analysis: Farm Act strips wetland safeguards, mitigation
Special report: The governor’s veto not withstanding, this legislative session’s farm bill is now law, and with it, state offsets and water quality protections for eastern North Carolina’s wetland environments may have evaporated.
Attorney General Stein discusses environmental concerns
Attorney General Josh Stein met Monday with North Carolina Coastal Federation members in Pine Knoll Shores to learn more about the work being done to maintain a living shoreline and manage stormwater runoff in the community.
NC river toxins threaten subsistence fishing, tribal practices
An advisory alerting people to PFAS contamination in certain fish species that inhabit the middle and lower Cape Fear River basin brings more bad news for people living in the region.
Lingering Chowan River algal bloom prompts state advisory
Counties currently affected include Chowan, Bertie and Hertford.
Commission committees to hear PFAS rulemaking updates
Two Environmental Management Commission committees will hear overviews this week on PFAS rulemaking and monitoring.
