Showing posts with label NORTH CAROLINA. Show all posts
Showing posts with label NORTH CAROLINA. Show all posts

Tuesday, May 5, 2015

SAFEGUARDING CAPE FEAR RIVER BASIN WATER QUALITY (NSF VIDEO INCLUDED)


FROM:  NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION
Testing the waters: 1,4-Dioxane in North Carolina's Cape Fear River Basin
Environmental engineers play vital role in determining next steps to safeguard drinking water

It was an email from a colleague that tipped off environmental engineer Detlef Knappe of possible 1,4-dioxane contamination in the Cape Fear River Basin, North Carolina's largest watershed and a source of drinking water for communities across the state.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has classified 1,4-dioxane as a probable human carcinogen. It is an industrial solvent used in the textile and paper industries and a by-product of manufacturing processes involving ethylene oxide, such as the production of certain plastics and surfactants used in laundry detergents and shampoos.

With support from a National Science Foundation (NSF) RAPID grant, Knappe and his team at North Carolina State University (NCSU) have begun to identify 1,4-dioxane sources and how 1,4-dioxane impacts drinking water quality. (RAPID is short for Grants for Rapid Response Research.) Another research goal is to determine whether home filtration devices effectively remove 1, 4-dioxane from tap water and how long those filters will last.

Knappe is also working with managers at water treatment plants and state policymakers in North Carolina to improve testing and treatment standards for 1,4-dioxane. Knappe says so far, the research team has identified three North Carolina communities as key sources of 1,4-dioxane and those communities are now working with the state and NCSU to identify which facilities are the source of the contamination.

He says the team is also evaluating point-of-use devices, such as pitcher and refrigerator filters, and has identified a new adsorbent that is quite effective for 1,4-dioxane removal.

The research in this episode was supported by NSF award #1449768, RAPID; GOALI: Sources of 1,4-Dioxane in the Cape Fear River Watershed of North Carolina and Treatment Options for 1,4-Dioxane Control. GOALI is NSF's Grant Opportunities for Academic Liaison with Industry program.

Miles O'Brien, Science Nation Correspondent
Ann Kellan, Science Nation Producer

Thursday, July 3, 2014

ARTHUR BECOME A HURRICANE AS IT TRAVELS ALONG U.S. EAST COAST






FROM:  NOAA 
Arthur was upgraded to a Hurricane early this morning and is forecast to move past the North Carolina Outer Banks tonight. Hurricane Watches and Warnings, along with Tropical Storm Watches and Warnings, remain in effect from southeast Virginia to South Carolina. In addition to coastal flooding, dangerous rip currents will impact much of the East Coast through this weekend due to Hurricane Arthur.  Map Credit:  NOAA.

Friday, April 18, 2014

OPERATION CERBERUS NETS 400+ ARRESTS IN ROCKY MOUNT, NORTH CAROLINA

FROM:  U.S. MARSHALS SERVICE 
For Immediate Release
 Over 400 Arrested in Rocky Mount Month-Long Operation

Rocky Mount, NC – The U.S. Marshals Service, Eastern District of North Carolina, and the Rocky Mount Police Department announce the successful conclusion of Operation Cerberus. Law enforcement officers from numerous agencies fanned out across the city of Rocky Mount and the surrounding areas of Nash and Edgecombe Counties over recent weeks, with the goal of locating and apprehending subjects wanted for a variety of offenses. By end of the operation, 404 subjects had been arrested and 634 warrants had been served. Additionally, officers seized 21 firearms, 579.9 grams of heroin, 95.2 grams of Marijuana, 11.78 grams of MDMA, and $4230 in U.S. currency.

Operation Cerberus was initiated by the Rocky Mount Police Department on March 17 to combat the increase in violent crimes in Rocky Mount, and officers worked tirelessly to identify those individuals responsible. In early April, the operation culminated with a two-day sweep that saw the combined resources of the U.S. Marshals Service Violent Fugitive Task Force brought to bear on those perpetrating the offenses and a clear message was sent to the citizens of Rocky Mount. Agencies participating during this operation include the U.S. Marshals Service, Rocky Mount Police Department, Greenville Police Department, Kinston Department of Public Safety, Nash County Sheriff’s Office, N.C. Department of Public Safety – Division of Adult Correction, Pitt County Sheriff’s Office, Raleigh Police Department, and Federal Bureau of Investigation Safe Streets Task Force.

Darrell James, 34, wanted for Assault With a Deadly Weapon (4 counts), Discharging a Weapon into Occupied Property, Discharging a Weapon inside City Limits, Possession of a Weapon while Intoxicated, and Injury to Personal Property .

Alfonso Moore, 43, wanted for Second Degree Kidnapping, and Assault on Female.

“The number of violent fugitives and weapons removed from the streets of Rocky Mount and surrounding areas during this operation is a direct result of Federal, State and Local law enforcement officers working together and being persistent in the common goal of ensuring that citizens of the community are safe from violent felons and probation violators,” said Scott Parker, United States Marshal for the Eastern District of North Carolina. “I want to thank the men and women of law enforcement who stood shoulder to shoulder during this operation, for their dedication to the citizens of the City of Rocky Mount and Eastern North Carolina.”

Rocky Mount Police Chief James Moore stated “The resolve of the Rocky Mount Police Department to identify and apprehend criminals is strong and our investigative capabilities are magnified when our federal and state law enforcement partners, each with its own areas of expertise, unite to achieve a common objective.”

Additional information about the U.S. Marshals Service can be found at http://www.usmarshals.gov.

Tuesday, August 21, 2012

POULTRY PLANT CONVICTED OF VIOLATING CLEAN WATER ACT

FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE
Monday, August 20, 2012
North Carolina Poultry Processing Plant Convicted for Knowing Violations of Clean Water Act

WASHINGTON – A federal jury today found House of Raeford Farms Inc., the owner and operator of a poultry slaughtering and processing facility located in Raeford, North Carolina, guilty of 10 counts of knowing violations of the Clean Water Act.
 
House of Raeford allowed plant employees to bypass the facility’s pretreatment system and send its untreated wastewater directly to the city of Raeford’s wastewater treatment plant, without notifying city officials. In addition, House of Raeford failed to prevent employees from sending thousands of gallons of wastewater into a pretreatment system that did not have the capacity to adequately treat the wastewater before it was discharged to the city plant. The untreated wastewater that was discharged directly to the city plant was contaminated with waste from processing operations, including blood, grease and body parts from slaughtered turkeys. A House of Raeford former employee admitted that the facility would continue to "kill turkeys" despite being warned that the unauthorized bypasses had an adverse impact on the city’s wastewater treatment plant. The city plant was responsible for treating industrial, commercial and residential wastewater before it was discharged to Rockfish Creek in Hoke County.
 
The bypasses and failure to report them violated House of Raeford’s pretreatment permit as well as the city’s sewer use ordinance. Many of the bypasses took place while House of Raeford was subject to a consent order with the city that required it to construct a new pretreatment system and comply with all requirements of its pretreatment permit. A number of the bypasses were recorded in log books kept by House of Raeford Inc. wastewater operators, and were never revealed to the city.
 
"The convictions today demonstrate the Justice Department’s commitment to prosecuting those who knowingly violate pretreatment permits and the Clean Water Act by releasing untreated and contaminated wastewater to municipal wastewater treatment plants," said Ignacia S. Moreno, Assistant Attorney General for the Environment and Natural Resources Division of the Department of Justice. "The violations here are especially egregious and will not be tolerated. The evidence showed that House of Raeford allowed overflows of untreated wastewater to bypass a critical part of their pretreatment system. Many of these bypasses were not disclosed to the city of Raeford, and placed an additional burden on the city’s wastewater treatment plant."
 
"Publicly owned wastewater treatment plants must be protected from companies that cut corners by discharging wastewater illegally," said Maureen O’Mara, Special Agent in Charge of of EPA Region 4, which covers the southeast United States including North Carolina. "The defendants in this case deliberately discharged turkey parts, blood and grease into the wastewater plant for over 16 months, bypassing treatment. Today’s conviction sends the message that the American public will not tolerate companies putting profit ahead of compliance."
 
"Families and businesses depend on having clean water. Our SBI agents will continue to work closely with their federal partners to protect the safety of our water supply and hold polluters accountable," said North Carolina Attorney General Roy Cooper.
 
House of Raeford Inc. faces a maximum fine of $500,000 or twice the gain or loss resulting from the offenses, whichever is greater, per count. Sentencing has been scheduled for Nov. 28, 2012.
 
The case was prosecuted by the Justice Department’s Environmental Crimes Section and was investigated by U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Criminal Investigation Division and North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation.

Tuesday, April 10, 2012

DEPARTMENT OF LABOR GIVES FURTHER ASSISTANCE TO NORTH CAROLINA VICTIMS OF HURRICANE IRENE


FROM:  U.S. DEPARTMENT OF LABOR
US Department of Labor provides additional funding to assist recovery efforts in North Carolina following Hurricane Irene damage from August 2011
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Labor today awarded a National Emergency Grant increment of $375,200 that will fund 200 temporary jobs for eligible workers to continue cleanup and recovery efforts in North Carolina following Hurricane Irene, which struck in August 2011.
“North Carolina’s rural areas have limited public transportation and were severely damaged.  Residents in those areas require assistance with continued removal of debris and restoration to public properties,” said Assistant Secretary of Labor for Employment and Training Jane Oates. “Today’s grant sends a clear message that displaced families along the North Carolina coast can depend on the federal government to help them restore their communities.”

On Aug. 31, 2011, the Federal Emergency Management Agency declared 37 counties eligible for its Public Assistance Program: Beaufort, Bertie, Brunswick, Camden, Carteret, Chowan, Columbus, Craven, Currituck, Dare, Duplin, Edgecombe, Gates, Greene, Halifax, Hertford, Hyde, Johnston, Jones, Lenoir, Martin, Nash, New Hanover, Northampton, Onslow, Pamlico, Pasquotank, Pender, Perquimans, Pitt, Sampson, Tyrrell, Vance, Warren, Washington, Wayne and Wilson. More information on designated disaster areas in North Carolina is available from FEMA at http://www.fema.gov/news/eventcounties.fema?id=15532.
I
n September 2011, the Labor Department awarded a $2 million grant to the North Carolina Department of Commerce’s Division of Employment and Training, with $750,000 released initially. Today’s increment brings the total funds awarded to date to $1,125,200.

National Emergency Grants are part of the secretary of labor’s discretionary fund and are awarded based on a state’s ability to meet specific guidelines. For more information, visit http://www.doleta.gov/NEG.



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