Press Releases

Even as rain has fallen over much of North Carolina, the majority of the state is still facing drought conditions. The rain has not made up for double-digit precipitation deficits that have been building since last fall. North Carolinians are encouraged to conserve water as the long-running drought continues to impact water reservoirs and other water supplies. 

The North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality’s Division of Water Resources (DWR) has been notified of elevated 1,4-dioxane levels discharged from the City of Asheboro Wastewater Treatment Plant into Hasketts Creek, which empties into the Deep River within the Cape Fear River Basin. 

According to the classifications released by the North Carolina Drought Management Advisory Council on Thursday based on conditions observed between July 7-14, eight counties largely in the Triangle and eastern Triad are in exceptional drought, the highest drought classification. Brunswick County also remains in exceptional drought. Another 38 counties are in extreme drought, 37 counties are in severe drought and13 counties are in moderate drought. Four counties are classified as abnormally dry. 

Localized heavier rainfall in parts of North Carolina may help alleviate demand for water for irrigation or other uses but did not lead to substantial improvements in the state’s drought conditions.

The NC Department of Environmental Quality’s (DEQ) Public Water Supply Section is accepting comments through Aug. 31 on proposed changes to state rules on oversight of facilities providing supplemental water treatment.

La División de Recursos Hídricos del Departamento de Calidad Ambiental de Carolina del Norte celebrará una audiencia pública el 14 de julio para recibir comentarios del público sobre los impactos en la calidad del agua derivados de la propuesta de Martin Marietta Materials Inc., acerca de la ampliación de una cantera de piedra caliza, ubicada en Castle Hayne, Condado de New Hanover.

The North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality Division of Water Resources will hold a public hearing on July 14 to accept public comments on water quality impacts from Martin Marietta Materials Inc.’s proposed expansion of a limestone quarry in Castle Hayne, located in New Hanover County.

As drought conditions continue across North Carolina heading into the Fourth of July weekend, the public is encouraged to continue to follow water supply restrictions set by their local water systems.

As the Fourth of July holiday approaches, 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 Environmental Management Commission will meet July 8-9 in the Ground Floor Hearing Room of the Archdale Building in Raleigh. Members of the public may attend in-person or join the meeting by computer or phone.  

Drought conditions have intensified in central North Carolina, with parts of 10 counties in and around the Triangle now classified as experiencing exceptional drought. The majority of the rest of the state remains in extreme and severe drought.

The North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality Division of Water Resources will hold a public hearing on July 14 to accept public comments on water quality impacts from Martin Marietta Materials Inc.’s proposed expansion of a limestone quarry in Castle Hayne, located in New Hanover County.

Today, Attorney General Jeff Jackson took legal action on behalf of the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality to stop Brenntag Mid-South from continuing to illegally discharge contaminants into state waters and require the company to act immediately to clean up the damage it’s caused.

To kick off the sampling season for the Western N.C. Recreational Water Quality Monitoring Program, NC Department of Environmental Quality Secretary Reid Wilson visited Jean Webb Park on the French Broad River in Asheville to demonstrate how DEQ’s Division of Water Resources staff sample for E. coli in local waterways. 

Recent rainfall helped improve drought conditions in some parts of the state, but most of the state remains in extreme or severe drought, according to the N.C. Drought Management Advisory Council. The exceptional drought classification has been removed.