Water Quality Program
The Forsyth County Environmental Affairs Department administers a non-regulatory Water Quality Program to
protect the quality of surface water in Forsyth County. We investigate non-emergency water contamination events that we
discover or that are reported by citizens. Many surface water quality problems are caused accidentally, unwittingly or
even naturally. We are usually able to resolve these problems quickly and reduce the pollution impact during an initial
on-site investigation. Cases where enforcement action is necessary to correct a problem are referred to the N.C. Department
of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) under a Memorandum of Understanding. In these cases, we transfer collected
evidence to DENR for further investigation and enforcement.
Reporting Surface Water Pollution Problems
Emergency Spills – Dial 911 if there is an imminent health or safety problem. They will contact the
proper authorities.
| Erosion Control Problems (e.g. excess runoff and mud from construction\logging sites) |
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In the Town of Kernersville: report to the State of North Carolina’s Division of Environment and Natural Resources at
(336) 771-5000.
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All other areas of the County: report to the Erosion Control Division at (336) 727-2388. |
| Pollution entering Streams or Storm Drains |
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In Winston-Salem: report to Winston-Salem’s Stormwater Division at (336) 747-7480 |
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In Kernersville: report to the Kernersville Stormwater Hotline at (336) 564-1600 |
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All areas of the County: report to the Forsyth County Environmental Affairs Dept. at (336) 703-2440 |
If you want to report a stream problem and don’t know who to call, call us for assistance at (336) 703-2440.
In addition to investigating water pollution problems in streams, we are active in issues facing regional planning
and development and advocate a clean and healthy stream system. Proactively targeting and addressing water quality
issues makes good sense and can help to avoid State or Federal mandated infrastructure changes that could be costly to
the County’s citizens.
Forsyth County's watershed system impacts both local and downstream communities in three separate river basins; the
Yadkin/Pee-Dee River basin, the Roanoke River basin, and the Cape Fear River basin. Approximately 76% of Forsyth County
is in the Yadkin/Pee-Dee River basin. The Roanoke River basin occupies about 21% of the northeastern section of the
county. The Cape Fear basin impacts less than 3% of the county on the eastern edge that includes a small part of
Kernersville.
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