Press release

RALEIGH – John Skvarla, secretary of the N.C. Department of Environment and Natural Resources, announced Monday the launch of a new feature on the North Carolina Division of Water Quality’s website that will enable people to quickly access approximately 2.5 million public records with the click of a mouse.

“One of Governor McCrory’s chief priorities is that government be more transparent and customer-friendly to the taxpayers,” Skvarla said. “In keeping with the Governor’s priorities, this new feature will improve customer service and lead to more economic efficiencies.”

The online Document Management System is a repository of files on development projects, which include buffer impacts, stream determinations and mitigation, as well as certifications and stormwater management plans that are required under Section 401 of the federal Clean Water Act. The types of documents available include site plans, monitoring records, inspection reports, photos and approval letters and notations from agency staff that review projects.

The new, federally funded online system marks the culmination of a five-year project. The system offers potential time and cost savings for developers, builders and project owners. In the past, project information was available upon request and was typically provided to the requestor as a hard copy, a compact disc or in an e-mail format. Now, the most up-to-date project information will be provided in just minutes.

The Division of Water Quality plans to continue expanding the online system, adding documents and records from other programs within the agency.

The Document Management System can be accessed at http://goo.gl/qsf8o.