Press Releases

Smoke from South Carolina wildfires has the potential to create very unhealthy air quality in Transylvania County on Thursday, and other nearby counties may also experience unhealthy air quality from smoke. Residents are urged to take precautions.The N.C. Department of Environmental Quality’s Division of Air Quality (DAQ) is issuing the following Air Quality Action Day forecasts:

Smoke from wildfires in Polk County and South Carolina will continue to produce unhealthy air quality and the N.C. Department of Environmental Quality’s Division of Air Quality (DAQ) is expanding air quality alerts in western North Carolina.

Changes to 18 Marine Fisheries Commission rules became effective today. Among the changes, five of the rules pertain to data collection and harassment prevention for the conservation of marine and estuarine resources, and one rule makes the administration of shellfish leases more efficient. Changes to the remaining rules removed outdated requirements and make minor conforming and clarifying changes.

UPDATE: The Division of Air Quality extended the air quality alerts described below. For the most up-to-date air quality forecasts, visit the Air Quality Portal. Smoke from wildfires in Polk County is producing unhealthy air quality at the Code Red and Code Orange levels, and residents are urged to take precautions.

The North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality’s (DEQ) Flood Resiliency Blueprint (Blueprint) within the Division of Mitigation Services (DMS) released the report, More Resilient by Design: North Carolina’s Flood Resiliency Blueprint.

The N.C. Department of Environmental Quality’s (NCDEQ) Division of Coastal Management (DCM) invites communities and contractors to apply to participate in Phases 1 through 4 of the N.C. Resilient Coastal Communities Program (RCCP), which aims to equip communities with additional capability to understand and enhance coastal resilience at the local level. DCM estimates that approximately $2 million will be available for Phases 1 and 2 in FY 2025-2026 and approximately $6 million will be available for Phase 3 and Phase 4 projects in FY 2025-2026. The application deadline for both community and

In the latest advisory, the North Carolina Drought Management Advisory Council classified five counties in Eastern North Carolina as experiencing severe drought, or D2 conditions: Carteret, Craven, Jones, Onslow and Pamlico counties. Fifty-eight counties are classified as experiencing moderate drought, or D1 conditions. Another 36 counties are classified as abnormally dry.

The N.C. Marine Fisheries Commission today took a step towards adoption of draft Southern Flounder Fishery Management Plan Amendment 4 by approving the draft plan for public and advisory committee review. Draft Amendment 4 would move the already scheduled sector allocation shift to 50/50 (commercial/recreational) in Amendment 3 up by one year to 2025.

Two State Water Infrastructure Authority committees will meet via Webex on Wednesday, March 19 as indicated below. The public may listen to the meeting online or by phone.

The North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality’s (NCDEQ) Division of Coastal Management (DCM) Coastal Reserve program and partners from the NC Wildlife Resources Commission (WRC), NC State Parks, Bald Head Island Conservancy, NC Audubon, NC Aquariums and National Park Service are recruiting volunteers to participate in the 2025 Terrapin Tally.