Press Releases

The public can submit written and emailed comments until Dec. 15 on a draft rule that would allow domestic wastewater discharges to zero-flow streams.

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

The North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality’s Division of Marine Fisheries plans to implement management changes for Sheepshead due to increased fishing pressure, particularly on juvenile fish, in recent years. The Division is seeking public input on potential management strategies.

The North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality’s Division of Marine Fisheries and staff from the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission will hold an informational meeting Nov. 5 to present upcoming management changes for Striped Bass in the Tar-Pamlico and Neuse Rivers. The meeting will begin at 6 p.m. at the Washington Civic Center.

The N.C. Coastal Reserve and National Estuarine Research Reserve will hold fall local advisory committee meetings Nov. 5 - 18 for the following reserve sites. All meetings are open to the public.

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 North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality Division of Water Resources (DWR) advises the public to avoid contact with green or blue water on the Chowan River and in associated tributaries between Occano and Arrowhead Beach due to algal blooms that have lingered in the area since Oct. 6.

The North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality’s Division of Division of Marine Fisheries recently certified a new state record for Almaco Jack (Seriola rivoliana).

MOREHEAD CITY- Advisories against swimming were posted today at two sound-side sites in Dare 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 N.C. Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) held its annual Environmental Stewardship Initiative (ESI) Conference October 9-10 to help businesses, industries, government entities and other organizations learn sustainability and pollution prevention best practices that both protect North Carolina’s environment and produce economic benefits.