NCDEQ Announces New DWR Director and DEMLR Acting Director

NC Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) has announced that Danny Smith will be the new Director of the Division of Water Resources (DWR) effective February 1, 2020. In a departmental email to all DEQ Staff on January 15, 2020, Sheila Holman, Assistant Secretary for the Environment said, "Danny began his career with the Department in 1992.  He has served in a number of roles in the Division of Water Quality/Division of Water Resources.  He has been in a supervisory role since 2004.  Danny currently serves as the Director of DEMLR.  Danny brings significant field and program experience to the position and has an excellent understanding of the complex nature of the Division’s work."

A second announcement in the same email named Brian Wrenn to be Acting Director of the Division of Energy, Minerals, and Land Resources (DEMLR) also effective February 1, 2020. The email went on to say, "Brian is a native North Carolinian with over 26 years of experience in environmental work including 18 years with the NC Division of Water Resources.  He has significant experience with many water quality programs including CAFO inspections, spray irrigation and land application inspections, 401 water quality certifications and buffer authorizations, and NPDES permitting.  Brian also has eight years of experience with stormwater and erosion control inspection programs.  He currently supervises the Ecosystems Branch coordinating programs such as algal and aquatic plants, state-wide ambient monitoring system, water quality monitoring coalitions, statistical water quality analysis, quality assurance, wetlands program development, and numeric nutrient criteria development."