Pollution

Horizon 30 mined the Carter Quarry site outside of Poplar without a permit for several months last year. Now, DEQ is seeking to reopen a lawsuit against the company to force it to clean up the site adequately.

EPA says the change will cut red tape, but new research suggests regulators may already be missing major sources of contamination.

Poe Hall is the focus of the lawsuit, which the public university shut down in 2023 after it tested positive for toxic chemicals called PCBs.

Sound Rivers had alleged that Mungo Homes was polluting a pair of tributaries to Lick Creek in Southeast Durham while building a 216-acre development.

Last week, scientists launched plastic water bottles outfitted with GPS systems into two Raleigh creeks to research the movement of waste in urban waterways. The study is part of North Carolina Sea Grant, a project funded by the National Atmospheric and Oceanic Administration (NOAA).

PFAS, also known as “forever chemicals,” are found in several North Carolina waterways, including the Cape Fear River. Powerful lobbying groups like the NC Chamber have opposed legislative and regulatory efforts to stop PFAS at the source.

Hurricane Helene’s flood waters may have contaminated drinking water across western North Carolina. Residents with overtopped wells must boil and test the water before concluding it’s safe.

People who served in the Canal Zone were left out of a law that made it easier to get care and benefits from the Department of Veterans Affairs.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will use a chemical to improve water quality in Lake Mattamuskeet. Conservationists worry it will harm birds at North Carolina's largest freshwater lake.

Lake Mattamuskeet is the largest natural freshwater lake in North Carolina. The lake has experienced declining water quality for decades, leading to harmful algal blooms. A proposal would address these algal blooms using a chemical treatment.