Press Releases

The N.C. Department of Environmental Quality's Division of Water Resources (DWR) reminds the public to avoid contact with discolored water that could indicate the presence of an algal bloom.

The North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality’s Division of Water Resources (DWR) has approved a certificate of coverage to allow BlueGreen Water Technologies to conduct a pilot study of a treatment for cyanobacteria within a limited area of Lake Mattamuskeet, the state’s largest freshwater lake, starting on June 1.

The Department of Environmental Quality’s Division of Water Resources (DWR) is lifting an advisory for fishing and recreational activity in a portion of Swift Creek in Craven County, after sample analysis showed water quality contamination from an animal waste spill has cleared.

The North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality’s Division of Water Resources (DWR) has approved a permit for the Clear Creek Wastewater Treatment Plant in Henderson County. The final permit was updated from the draft version to include more restrictive limits for certain pollutants and a limit on the plant’s maximum sewage treatment capacity.

The public is advised to avoid fishing and recreational activity along a portion of Swift Creek in Craven County due to an animal waste spill in the area.

The Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) Division of Water Resources will be treating the Eno River for hydrilla, an invasive aquatic plant, May 15 through Aug. 31.

The N.C. Source Water Collaborative – a statewide drinking water protection group – has announced the winners of the Source Water Protection Awards during the Water Resources Research Institute’s annual conference, held last month.

Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced the final National Primary Drinking Water Regulation to establish legally enforceable levels for six PFAS, or per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, known to occur in drinking water. The North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) has been working with water systems to assess PFAS levels. Based on all available data, more than 300 water systems in our state have PFAS levels that will exceed the new standards

The North Carolina Environmental Management Commission’s Water Quality Committee will hold a special meeting at 1 p.m. on April 9 in the Ground Floor Hearing Room of the Archdale Building in Raleigh.

The North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality Division of Water Resources is now accepting public comment on the proposed list of streams, rivers, reservoirs and other water bodies in North Carolina considered to be “impaired,” or that do not meet water quality standards, in 2024.  

The North Carolina Environmental Management Commission will meet in the Ground Floor Hearing Room of the Archdale Building in Raleigh on March 13 and 14. Members of the public may attend in-person or join the meeting by computer or phone. 

The North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality’s Aquatic Weed Control Program will hold a public meeting March 13 on management of the invasive aquatic weed hydrilla at Lake Tillery. 

DEQ's Division of Water Resources will hold a public hearing March 20 on a proposed rule change that would allow DWR to certify laboratories to test for per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS.

The N.C. Department of Environmental Quality’s Division of Water Resources is now accepting proposals through the Clean Water Act-Section 319 (h) Nonpoint Source Grant Funding Program for projects seeking to restore waters in North Carolina impaired by nonpoint source pollution.

A new education program by NC Stream Watch offers information on water resource management, as well as a North Carolina science standards-aligned curriculum for teaching about water quality, quantity and the importance of conservation.