John Fear

Storm Water Consortium funded student award for Colin Finlay at East Carolina University.

Funding for Savanna Smith for the WRRI and UWC funded student award.

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are toxic, anthropogenic chemicals used in several industrial processes and consumer products due to their unique, chemically resistant properties1,2. PFAS are introduced to surface and groundwater through effluent from fluoropolymer production sites3,4, use of aqueous film-forming foams (AFFFs) at military training facilities5–7, and landfill leachate8. Environmental PFAS contamination is an emerging global concern9–12 with a heightened presence in North Carolina3,4, where North Carolina has the third highest PFAS prevalence in drinking water in the United States13. Human exposure to PFAS is linked to adverse health effects including various cancers and immune disorders14. Due to the environmental persistence of PFAS, the EPA set a lifetime health advisory limit of 70 ng.L-1 for the combined concentration of perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluoro-1-octanesulfonic acid (PFOS) in drinking water12,15. PFOA and PFOS are legacy long-chain PFAS compounds that have been phased out of manufacturing processes in the United States16 and replaced by emerging, short-chain PFAS including perfluoro-2-propoxypropanoic acid (GenX)3. Despite the shift away from long-chain legacy PFAS, studies suggest short chain emerging PFAS lead to an equal threat to public health as legacy PFAS

It is proposed that the Water Resources Research Institute of The University of North Carolina System (WRRI) support the work of the Division of Energy, Mineral and Land Resources - Land Quality Section Staff within the Department of Environmental Quality, the mission of the Sedimentation Control Commission, and the objectives of the Sedimentation Pollution Control Act by providing assistance in the planning and logistical support of an annual workshop for local programs including an awards program.

It is proposed that the Water Resources Research Institute of The University of North Carolina System (WRRI) support the work of the Division of Energy, Mineral and Land Resources - Land Quality Section Staff within the Department of Environmental Quality, the mission of the Sedimentation Control Commission, and the objectives of the Sedimentation Pollution Control Act by providing assistance in the planning and logistical support of an annual workshop for local programs including an awards program.

North Carolina Sea Grant (NCSG) and the Albemarle Pamlico National Estuary Partnership (APNEP) are jointly funding a graduate student fellowship to conduct applied research within the North Carolina portion of the APNEP management boundary. Fellows must conduct research that addresses focus areas identified in the NCSG Strategic Plan and management actions identified in the APNEP Comprehensive Conservation and Management Plan. An open request for proposals will be released in late April/early May 2017 to solicit proposals from interested students. Received proposals will be ranked by a selection committee. The winning student investigator’s project will start in September 2017. This service contract will provide a mechanism for APNEP to fund their potion of this joint fellowship.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) established the Sentinel Site Program (SSP) to utilize existing assets, programs, and resources to address coastal management issues of local, regional, and national significance through a place-based, issue-driven, and collaborative approach. The SSP capitalizes on existing investments in NOAA trust resources, such as National Marine Sanctuaries, National Estuarine Research Reserves, and observing systems, to include a continuum of NOAA and partner capabilities from research and monitoring to management and decision-making to address sea level change and coastal inundation. The SSP outlines an innovative business model to better leverage resources across NOAA and its partners to increase efficiencies, integrate multiple parallel efforts, and provide information and tools to help communities and resource managers adapt to sea level change and inundation. Five Sentinel Site Cooperatives were selected by NOAA based on scientific relevance to addressing sea level change and inundation, capacity for leveraging existing resources, partners, assets, and potential to inform and respond with management action. The pilot cooperatives include Hawaii, the San Francisco Bay area, the Chesapeake Bay, North Carolina, and the Northern Gulf of Mexico. The North Carolina (NC) Sentinel Site Cooperative (NCSSC), established in 2012, is one of the Sentinel Site Cooperatives within the SSP to provide NC coastal communities and resource managers with information on the potential impacts of sea level rise on coastal habitats along the state’s central coast.

It is proposed that the Water Resources Research Institute of The University of North Carolina System (WRRI) support the work of the Division of Energy, Mineral and Land Resources - Land Quality Section Staff within the Department of Environmental Quality, the mission of the Sedimentation Control Commission, and the objectives of the Sedimentation Pollution Control Act by providing assistance in the planning and logistical support of an annual workshop for local programs including an awards luncheon.

North Carolina Sea Grant (NCSG) proposes to work in conjunction with the NOAA – National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) to run a competitive research program that addresses the yearly research needs and priorities of the Bottlenose Dolphin Take Reduction Plan (BDTRP) and the Pelagic Longline Take Reduction Plan (PLTRP). NCSG has been administering this cooperative program with NMFS since 2004. This proposal, if funded, would continue this successful partnership, minimizing the disruption to the Marine Mammal Take Reduction Teams’ efforts to reduce dolphin interactions with fisheries activities.

The Black Creek Watershed Association seeks to continue its work led by NC State University (the Water Resources Research Institute and formerly by WECO) to implement the Black Creek Watershed Plan (2009). Goals of the this innovative proposed project are to: •Continue building on the momentum in the community to improve Black Creek, engaging additional community members in the efforts •Install a large, high impact stormwater control measure retrofit at Kingswood Elementary School that provides an outdoor natural learning environment for current and future students to experience and learn about storm water and watershed management •Assist a homeowners’ association with installing a series of residential rain gardens that reduces runoff in their community •Identify sites and create preliminary designs for intercepting and infiltrating concentrated stormwater flows along the right of way of the Black Creek Greenway in concert with the Town of Cary’s design process for redeveloping the greenway •Provide a check-up on the aquatic health of Black Creek through benthic macro-invertebrate sampling, and use the sampling events and results as an educational opportunity The Black Creek watershed, about 3.3 mi2 in area, is in the Town of Cary. The creek discharges to Lake Crabtree, in the Crabtree Creek subwatershed of the Neuse River Basin. Highly urbanized, the watershed is nearing build-out with a combination of high density residential, commercial, and institutional development. The Town’s popular Black Creek Greenway runs adjacent to most of Black Creek. The Greenway connects to Umstead State Park, Crabtree County Park, and City of Raleigh greenways, and experiences heavy use. Black Creek has been on the NC 303d list since 1998 with impairment for aquatic life and potential sources listed as urban runoff/storm sewer. Like many suburban Piedmont watersheds, most of it was built out before stormwater regulations such as the Neuse Rules were in effect, and the watershed assessment identified excessive stormwater runoff volumes and velocity as the main impairing factors. Implementation of the plan since 2010 has focused on runoff volume reduction and water quality improvement by disconnecting “effective” impervious surfaces (those directly connected to the stream system without stormwater treatment) and infiltrating and treating previously untreated stormwater runoff. Many successes have been reached in the watershed, including several new stormwater management projects on residential (single family, homeowners association properties), Wake County Schools, Town of Cary, and business properties. This proposal moves us to the high priority headwater area in downtown Cary to partner with a STEM (science-technology-engineering-math) school and Natural Learning Initiative- College of Design, NC State University, to leverage a stormwater project as a formal outdoor learning environment with accompanying curriculum. The project team will also join the Black Creek Greenway redesign process to identify opportunities to disconnect stormwater conveyences from neighborhoods adjacent to the greenway, and to build on a HOA’s efforts to address stormwater. This proposal provides innovative new opportunities to advance watershed restoration and knowledge about the Black Creek Watershed efforts.