DENR Secretary Announces Merging of
State Water Programs to Create Efficiency,
Better Customer Service
A
ugust 1, 2013 RALEIGH – John Skvarla,
secretary of the N.C. Department of
Environment and Natural Resources,
announced today the state agency is
consolidating several of its programs to
create greater efficiency at protecting water
resources in North Carolina.
The state divisions of Water Quality and Water
Resources are merging into one program
called the N.C. Division of Water Resources,
effective today. Merging the divisions will
bring together about 484 employees, with
more than two-thirds of them from the water
quality program. The programs will remain
headquartered in the Archdale Building, part
of the state government complex in Raleigh.
Water quality programs are responsible for
ensuring North Carolina’s water is clean while
water resources programs are responsible
for ensuring people have enough water for
everyday uses.
“Making DENR a more efficient organization
supports Governor McCrory’s mission to
make state government more responsive to
our citizens,” Skvarla said. “Moreover, it
just makes sense to integrate our regulation
of water quality and quantity. It doesn’t
matter how much water you have if it’s not
clean, and likewise a shortage of water,
even if it is clean, isn’t acceptable. This
merger will enable DENR to address water
quality and water quantity issues holistically
rather than separately, similar to placing
doctors of different specialties in the same
office together.”
While the changes will enable department
programs to operate more efficiently, North
Carolina’s businesses, citizens and others
who depend upon the state’s water programs
should be unaffected by the changes, Skvarla
said. For example, water quality inspections
will be conducted as usual and any permits
previously issued to individuals, businesses
and others will not be affected by the changes.
In the short term, programs and personnel
in the divisions will remain unchanged.
However, one of the goals of the consolidation
is an evaluation of existing programs and the
subsequent blending of water quality and
quantity management structures to increase
program efficiency. The division also plans
to form an outside involvement committee
of citizen and regulated stakeholders to get
additional input for the process of division
consolidation and regulatory review.
In their present forms, the Division of Water
Quality was formed in 1996 and the Division
of Water Resources was formed in 1980.
However, consolidating the state’s two water
agencies has been discussed for more than
a decade, said Tom Reeder, director of the
Division of Water Resources. Reeder and
other senior staff members in DENR are
conducting a review of all programs in the
two divisions to determine those that may be
outdated or in need of modification.
“Regarding the final structure of the new
division, the actual consolidation of the two
divisions will be a lengthy process that will
probably not be finalized until sometime early
in 2014,” Reeder said.
In addition to the consolidation of the two
water agencies, the program devoted to
stormwater regulation and education will
be moved from the N.C. Division of Water
Quality to the N.C. Division of Energy,
Mineral and Land Resources, or DEMLR.
Under this organization, stormwater programs,
including state permits for new construction
and coastal development and federal
stormwater permits, will move to DEMLR.
About 30 stormwater staff members from the
central office in Raleigh and regional offices
statewide will be reassigned to DEMLR,
but their locations and phone numbers will
remain the same. The central office’s Mail
Service Center mailing number will change
to MSC 1612. For more information on the
state’s stormwater programs, visit its website
at
.
Source: portal.ncdenr.org
Fall 2013 |
NCRWA.COM
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