Old North News

The North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality's Division of Water Resources (DWR) is set to conduct a public hearing on April 22. The session will focus on proposed amendments to the state's surface water quality standards, notably introducing a standard for E. coli as an indicator of pathogens in recreational waters.

These proposed revisions are part of a triennial update mandated by both federal and state laws. The updates consider existing water quality standards, EPA National Recommended Water Quality Criteria, and recent ecological, health, and toxicological data.

North Carolina's surface water standards aim to safeguard waters based on their designated uses, such as recreation or as a water supply. The Clean Water Act requires states to establish Surface Water Quality Standards to protect against pollution.

The hearing will take place at 6 p.m. in the Ground Floor Hearing Room of the Archdale Building in Raleigh. Speaker registration starts at 5 p.m.

One significant change involves replacing the fecal coliform standard with an E. coli standard for certain recreational waters. This would apply to primary recreation in Class B waterways with a proposed limit of 126 colony forming units per 100 milliliters over five samples within 30 days. Additionally, no more than 20% of samples should exceed 274 colony forming units per 100 milliliters.

The proposal aligns with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Recreational Water Quality Criteria published in 2012.

Further changes aim to clarify variance requirements for surface water quality standards. Comments on these proposals and other related topics are welcome until May 2 via email or postal mail addressed to Christopher Ventaloro at NC DEQ-DWR Planning Section.

The hearing is expected to conclude by 9 p.m., though it may end earlier if all speakers have been heard. Public parking is available after 5 p.m., and additional details can be found online along with further information about the proposed changes.

For those needing this information in other languages, contact details are provided for assistance in Spanish, French, Vietnamese, Arabic, and Chinese.