Environment (Water Quality)

This bill allows wastewater treatment system operators in North Carolina to calculate sewage flow rates for new homes at a lower standard of 55 gallons per day per bedroom, provided the state environmental department approves the change based on local usage data. Under the new rules, operators must still ensure that reducing the flow rate does not harm public health or the environment, while systems without allocated capacity for future connections must continue using the standard rate of 75 gallons per day per bedroom. To support these changes, the state will allocate $10,000 to the Department of Environmental Quality in the 2026-2027 fiscal year to review and evaluate the proposed lower flow rates. The legislation is set to take effect on July 1, 2026.

SB 472 streamlines water quality permit reviews for specific projects in North Carolina, directly affecting developers of upland basin marinas, energy/fuel infrastructure, and maintenance dredging projects funded by certain state programs. It sets strict deadlines for the Department of Environmental Quality: requiring fee notifications within 5 business days, completeness reviews within 30 days, and final decisions within 10-15 days (or automatically waiving certification if deadlines are missed). The bill also clarifies that certain man-made ditches and upland basin marinas are not subject to coastal management regulations. These changes aim to accelerate project approvals while maintaining existing water quality standards. The bill is pending review and would take effect October 1, 2025.

SB 605 makes two key changes related to water management and environmental regulations. First, it eliminates subbasin designations and removes the requirement for an Interbasin Transfer certificate for water transfers that occur between subbasins within the same major river basin, simplifying the process for water resource managers. Second, the bill revises how nutrient offset credits are calculated for wastewater permits in the Neuse River Basin. It specifies that a "TMDL transport factor" must be applied to both the permitted wastewater discharge and the nutrient offset credits, and it broadens the applicability of this calculation by removing a previous customer connection limit for local governments. The bill also directs the Department of Environmental Quality to develop new modeling for nutrient transport in the Neuse River Basin, which could lead to updated rules.