The North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality’s Division of Water Resources has issued a revised wastewater discharge permit for Martin Marietta Materials Inc.’s Vanceboro Quarry. The updated permit follows an earlier approval in February 2025, which was rescinded after the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in San Francisco v. EPA, 145 S. Ct 704 (2025). The revised version was released for public comment on September 26.
The new permit regulates the discharge of up to 12 million gallons per day of mine dewatering—pumped groundwater and stormwater from the mine pit—and stormwater from two outfalls into unnamed tributaries of Blounts Creek. This creek is classified as a Class C, Swamp, Nutrient Sensitive Waterbody within the Tar-Pamlico River Basin. Class C waterways are protected for uses including survival of aquatic life and maintenance of fish and wildlife, agriculture, and secondary contact recreation such as wading or boating.
The revised permit requires an assessment of biological integrity every two years through sampling for benthos—small aquatic organisms that live in water—with the first sampling to occur between February 1 and March 15 after discharge begins. Additionally, monthly monitoring is required for pH levels, total suspended solids (TSS), and turbidity in the effluent from the mine.
Permit details and a technical fact sheet are available online at DWR Vanceboro Quarry permit file.
The Department of Environmental Quality serves as a state agency focused on regulating and protecting North Carolina’s natural resources and environmental quality. It extends its regulatory authority over air, land, water, and coastal environments throughout North Carolina while providing services such as air quality regulation, permit issuance, environmental law enforcement, waste management, and water resource oversight according to its official website. The department also supports public education and compliance to foster community awareness across the state.
