Press Releases

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.

Fifteen lucky anglers won $100 each in a yearly drawing held by the NC Division of Marine Fisheries’ Multi-Species Tagging Program

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

The amount of seagrass in the state’s estuaries has decreased more than 16% over a 14-year period, according to a new study.

The N.C. Coastal Resources Commission (CRC) will meet June 18 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. The CRC Science Panel will present its findings regarding oceanfront hardened structures.

MOREHEAD CITY – An advisory against swimming was posted today at a sound-side site in Dare County, where state recreational water quality officials found bacteria levels in the water that exceed the state’s and Environmental Protection Agency’s recreational water quality standards.

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.

MOREHEAD CITY – An advisory against swimming was posted today at a sound-side site in Brunswick County, where state officials found bacteria levels in the water that exceed the state’s and Environmental Protection Agency’s recreational water quality standards.

The Department of Environmental Quality’s Dam Safety Program is currently accepting a second round of applications for the North Carolina Dam Safety Grant Program, which will close at 5 p.m. on June 19, 2026. 

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.