Water Planning Section

Section Chief:  Tom Fransen

The Water Planning Section develops standards, rules and management strategies to protect water quality, carries out water supply planning, provides guidance to local water systems and monitors drought conditions

Albemarle-Pamlico Estuary Partnership Director  Bill Crowell
The Albemarle-Pamlico Estuary Partnership (APNEP) is a cooperative effort jointly hosted by the N.C. Department of Environmental Quality under a grant from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.  The Partnership also works closely with the Commonwealth of Virginia in implementation of the CCMP.   The program area extends across most of the Albemarle-Pamlico watershed, including the Neuse, Tar-Pamlico, Pasquotank, Chowan, lower Roanoke, and parts of the White Oak River basins.

Basin Planning Branch Chief:  Ian McMillan
This branch is responsible for the water quality and water quantity planning, performs water resources investigations on management issues and water yields for reservoirs and river basins statewide, is the Department's lead in hydropower relicensing, and provides support to the EMC and the Water Allocation Committee.  Staff works with a variety of stakeholders to develop river basin water resources plans for each of the 17 river basins in North Carolina.  This branch is also responsible for water quality restorations under the Use Restoration Waters (URW) program.

Classification/Standards & Rules Review Branch Chief:  Jeff Manning
This branch is responsible for development and assistance with interpretation and implementation of the state's surface water and groundwater quality standards and surface water body classifications and provides support for rule-making and to the EMC, the Water Quality Committee, and the Groundwater Committee.  Staff members also represent the Department on the Governors' South Atlantic Alliance and a variety of national work groups.

Ground Water Management Branch Chief:  Nat Wilson
This branch is responsible for the installation, maintenance, and measurement of a statewide network of ground water monitoring wells.  Water levels collected from the network wells are used to assess the quantity of available ground water supplies, drought conditions, and areas of aquifer overuse.  The branch manages the Capacity Use Area (CCPCUA), which regulates the withdrawal of ground water in 15 of North Carolina's coastal counties.  The CCPCUA program has helped the aquifers in Eastern NC recover from over-pumping and allowed those communities that depend on them to have a more long-term sustainable water source.

Modeling and Assessment Branch Chief:  Pam Behm
This branch is responsible for developing the list of waters not meeting water quality standards under Section 303(d) of the Clean Water Act, prioritizing impaired waters for management strategy or TMDL development, developing TMDLs, assisting with development of management strategies, developing and reviewing water quality models for TMDLs, NPDES permitting, developing and reviewing hydrologic basin models for water supply planning, and special studies. Staff uses computer models to simulate and evaluate surface water resources.

Nonpoint Source Branch Chief:  Rich Gannon
This branch acts as the lead for coordination of nonpoint source (NPS) pollution control in the state through the Section 319 grant.  The NPS program provides funding for positions within and outside the Division and for projects to address waters impaired due to nonpoint sources statewide.  This unit also supports development and implementation of nutrient control management strategies.

Water Resources Information Technology Branch Chief:  Charles Theobald
This branch develops and maintains the Division's computer applications and databases.

Water Supply Planning Branch Chief:  Linwood Peele
This branch provides technical assistance and guidance to assist all units of local governments and large community water systems in the development and implementation of viable local water supply plans.  To accomplish this staff administers and provides technical assistance with the following programs: Local Water Supply Plan Development, Review and Approval; Water Supply Assistance & Implementation of session law 2011-374; Water Shortage Response Planning; Water Efficiency and Conservation; Water Withdrawal & Transfer Registration; and Drought Monitoring and Management.  The branch also provides staff support to the EMC for the certifications of large surface water transfers between basins.