Press Releases

Heavy rainfall from Hurricane Isaias offered drought relief to some Western North Carolina mountain counties earlier this month, although nearly half of the state’s counties remain in some stage of a drought that began last year. Additionally, drought conditions have worsened in the Coastal Plain and northern Piedmont.

The NC Department of Environmental Quality’s Division of Coastal Management (DCM) has issued a Request for Proposals (RFP) #16-101362-000 seeking a qualified contractor to update the North Carolina Beach and Inlet Management Plan (BIMP), a comprehensive management tool for the state’s 320 miles of oceanfront beaches and 19 active tidal inlets.

The North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality’s Division of Marine Fisheries will hold a workshop Nov. 3-5 for independent experts to review the Blue Crab stock assessment. The workshop will be held at Craven Community College, Room CTC 118 DE, 800 College Court, New Bern 28562 and by Webex.

The N.C. Coastal Resources Commission (CRC) will meet Oct. 28-29 at the Double Tree New Bern Riverfront, 100 Middle St., New Bern. Members of the public may attend in person or join the meeting online.

Jonathan Howell will be the new director of the NC Department of Environmental Quality’s Division of Marine Fisheries (DMF). Howell, currently the Deputy Director of the Division of Coastal Management (DCM), will take the helm at DMF Oct. 26.

The NC Department of Environmental Quality’s Division of Air Quality is providing an additional week to submit public comments on the draft air quality permit for Carolina Lithium, a proposed lithium mine and processing facility in Gaston County. Public comments must now be submitted by Oct. 23, 2026.

The NC Department of Environmental Quality’s Division of Coastal Management (DCM) has issued a Request for Proposals (RFP) #16-101362-000 seeking a qualified contractor to update the North Carolina Beach and Inlet Management Plan (BIMP), a comprehensive management tool for the state’s 320 miles of oceanfront beaches and 19 active tidal inlets.

The NC Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) officially opened its new Reedy Creek campus this week, offering new capabilities for staff, researchers and the public. On Thursday, Oct. 15, DEQ held a ribbon-cutting event at the new site, 4407 Reedy Creek Road in West Raleigh. The space will include offices for the Department’s lab staff, Raleigh Regional Office staff, and a new training and hearing room that will hold public meetings beginning this fall.

The NC Department of Environmental Quality’s Division of Coastal Management (DCM) is accepting applications for approximately $2.5 million in funding through Phases 3 and 4 of the N.C. Resilient Coastal Communities Program (RCCP) to help coastal communities design and implement projects that strengthen local resilience to coastal hazards. Applications are due Nov. 10, 2026, by 5 p.m. 

MOREHEAD CITY – State recreational water quality officials today lifted a water quality swimming advisory for a sound-side swimming area in Brunswick County.