The Environmental Protection Agency Region 4 awarded $168,775 to the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality on October 1, 2025, under the Water Pollution Control State, Interstate, and Tribal Program Support program (CFDA 66.419) to maintain, protect, and improve water quality across the state's rivers, lakes, streams, groundwater, and other waterbodies.
The recipient will execute the current cycle of the Randomized Ambient Monitoring Survey (RAMS), collecting water quality data across North Carolina to assess the overall condition of rivers and streams. The project team will gather water chemistry results from 30 freshwater sites through water monitoring and laboratory analysis. Work includes collecting data from previously unmonitored waterbodies to support use support determinations and enable statistically valid statements about all freshwaters in North Carolina. The project will also begin preparing and planning for the next RAMS survey cycle scheduled for 2027–2028, coordinating monitoring locations, updating plans, and organizing resources. The recipient will submit required annual progress reports to the EPA and upload water quality data to the EPA Water Quality Exchange (WQX) database for public access and use by researchers, agencies, and the public.
The period of performance runs through December 31, 2027, with work performed in North Carolina. No subawards are included in this assistance agreement. The anticipated beneficiaries are residents of North Carolina.