North Wake News

The North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality Division of Water Resources (DWR) has announced a public hearing scheduled for April 22. The hearing will address proposed amendments to the state's surface water quality standards, including introducing a standard for E. coli as an indicator of pathogens in recreational waters.

These proposed changes are part of a triennial update mandated by federal and state laws. This update is based on reviewing existing water quality standards, EPA National Recommended Water Quality Criteria, and new or updated ecological, health, and toxicological information.

North Carolina's surface water standards aim to protect waters according to their classified uses, such as recreation or water supply. The federal Clean Water Act requires states to adopt Surface Water Quality Standards to shield surface waters from pollution's harmful effects.

The public hearing will take place on Tuesday, April 22, 2025, at 6 p.m., in the Ground Floor Hearing Room of the Archdale Building located at 512 N. Salisbury Street, Raleigh, NC. Speaker registration and sign-in will commence at 5 p.m.

Among the proposed changes is replacing the fecal coliform standard with an E. coli standard for certain recreational waters. This proposal would introduce E. coli as an indicator in primary recreation areas within Class B waterways. The suggested standard is 126 colony-forming units per 100 milliliters of water based on at least five samples over a 30-day period. Additionally, no more than 20% of samples should exceed 274 colony-forming units per 100 milliliters.

The update follows the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Recreational Water Quality Criteria published in 2012: EPA 2012 Recreational Water Quality Criteria.

Furthermore, the proposed amendments aim to clarify requirements for obtaining variances to surface water quality standards. DEQ will also accept comments on existing water quality standard variances and other topics not addressed by this rulemaking.

Additional details about these proposals are available online under Surface Water Standards and Proposed Rules sections.

Comments can be submitted during the hearing or sent via email or postal mail until May 2 for consideration during the review process. Written comments may be emailed to SWTriRevComments2025@deq.nc.gov or mailed to Christopher Ventaloro at NC DEQ-DWR Planning Section, 1611 Mail Service Center, Raleigh, NC 27699-1611.

The public hearing will conclude by 9 p.m., though it may end earlier if all registered speakers have been heard. Public parking will be available after 5 p.m. at Parking Deck 64 across North Salisbury Street from the Archdale Building.

For information in other languages or translation services during the public hearing, contact Laura Oleniacz via phone at 919-707-8604 or email laura.oleniacz@deq.nc.gov.