The North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality’s Division of Water Resources (DWR) has scheduled two public hearings in early September to gather input on water quality impacts related to the proposed Southeast Supply Enhancement Project by Transcontinental Gas Pipe Line Co. LLC (Transco).
The first hearing will take place at 6 p.m. on September 2, 2025, at the Rockingham Community College Advanced Technologies Building Auditorium in Wentworth, North Carolina. The second hearing is set for 6 p.m. on September 4, 2025, at the Kernersville Municipal Council Chambers in Kernersville, North Carolina. Registration for speakers begins onsite at 5:30 p.m. before each event.
Transco has applied to DWR for a Clean Water Act Section 401 Individual Water Quality Certification and riparian buffer authorizations for Jordan Lake and Randleman Lake as part of the Southeast Supply Enhancement Project. The project proposes expanding an existing gas transmission pipeline system with approximately 4.4 miles of new pipeline in Rockingham County (Eden loop) and about 24.1 miles across Guilford, Forsyth, and Davidson counties (Salem loop). Modifications are also planned for compressor stations and other facilities in Davidson, Cleveland, Iredell, Lincoln, and Gaston counties; according to the application documents, these modifications are not expected to affect jurisdictional waters or state-regulated riparian buffers.
Construction activities along the pipeline route would temporarily impact around 8,100 linear feet (about 1.5 miles) of jurisdictional intermittent and perennial streams and approximately 11.2 acres of wetlands that fall under federal protection during construction activities.
Plans include two large stream crossings and one open water crossing that would be installed beneath surface waters using horizontal directional drilling or conventional bore methods—techniques intended to minimize disturbance to surface waters. Two smaller streams are expected to be avoided because they are adjacent to similar underground crossings of roadways.
According to Transco’s proposal, after construction is complete, efforts will be made to restore ground surfaces, streams, and wetlands as closely as possible to their original condition.
Projects needing a Clean Water Act Section 404 permit from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers must also secure a state-issued Section 401 Water Quality Certification before federal approval is granted (https://www.epa.gov/cwa-404/clean-water-act-section-401-certification).
The state certification process examines whether proposed projects meet water quality standards by evaluating if adverse effects on surface waters or wetlands have been minimized or avoided wherever possible.
To qualify for certification:
– The project must minimize negative effects on surface waters and wetlands considering local topography, vegetation types, wildlife resources, and hydrological conditions.
– It cannot degrade groundwater or surface water quality.
– Secondary or indirect impacts resulting in downstream violations of water quality standards must be prevented.
– Permanent impacts require appropriate mitigation measures.
Riparian buffer authorizations are required because some affected streams flow into Jordan Lake and Randleman Lake—key drinking water sources protected by North Carolina rules mandating vegetated buffers along waterways feeding into these lakes.
Public comments can be submitted at either hearing or sent via mail or email until October 6 at 5 p.m., using the provided online form (https://deq.nc.gov/about/divisions/water-resources/water-quality-permitting/401-buffer-permitting/public-notices/20240801/public-comment-form), by mail addressed to Samantha Wooten at DWR’s Raleigh office, or by voicemail at 919-707-8495. Comments received will inform decisions regarding permit issuance following timelines set out in Session Law 2023-137.
Application materials and draft community profiles can be reviewed online through the project’s permit file (https://edocs.deq.nc.gov/WaterResources/Browse.aspx?id=3351340&dbid=0&repo=WaterResources).
