DEQ says no South Camden submission under review; Sawyer cited state staffing delays

CAMDEN COUNTY, N.C. — The N.C. Department of Environmental Quality says no project submission related to the South Camden drinking-water infrastructure expansion or associated wastewater discharge is currently under review by DEQ for drinking water or wastewater.

The agency's preliminary response came after Camden County Public Works Manager Charles "Chas" Sawyer told commissioners during an Aug. 3 public meeting that pending state approvals had "taken a lot longer due to staffing issues."

DEQ also told Camden Tribune that its Division of Water Resources expects additional modeling and technical materials from Camden County before later steps in the proposed wastewater-discharge process occur.

The agency said it will continue working next week on the remainder of the Tribune's questions.

Quick Take

• At the August 3 Board of Commissioners meeting, Sawyer said pending state approvals had "taken a lot longer due to staffing issues."
• A June 1 county record identifies DEQ in Sawyer's wastewater update and states that the "State is short-staffed and the process is requiring more time than expected."
• DEQ now says no project submission related to the South Camden drinking-water expansion or associated wastewater discharge is currently under review for drinking water or wastewater.
• DEQ says it expects a final modeling report, alternatives analysis, and explanation of proposed design flow from the county.
• DEQ says a water system/county request extended the deadline for plans and specifications on a separately funded project to November 2026.
• Board Chairman Jason Banks responded to Tribune questions and later rejected the Tribune's interpretation of an earlier email, saying it contained no threat and assuring that the publisher's candidacy and reporting will not affect access to records, public information or press inquiries.
• Public Works Manager Chas Sawyer and County Manager Erin Burke did not provide substantive responses by the Tribune's stated 3 p.m. August 7 publication deadline.
• DEQ says additional answers are expected next week.

What Sawyer said August 3

During the Aug. 3 Camden County Board of Commissioners meeting, Sawyer discussed several water and wastewater matters associated with the county's subdivision moratorium.

At approximately 1 hour, 31 minutes and 22 seconds into the August 3 Board of Commissioners meeting recording, Sawyer referred to pending state approvals and said they "have taken a lot longer due to staffing issues."

Camden Tribune's inquiry to DEQ followed that statement.

June county record also references DEQ and state staffing

The staffing issue also appears in Camden County's official record of the June 1 Board of Commissioners meeting.

Under Sawyer's moratorium update, the record states:

"Steam model study continues in modeling phase – results to be submitted to DEQ within the month."

The same update states:

"DEQ suggests that 2 ½ years be allotted for the permitting process for wastewater expansion."

It then states:

"State is short-staffed and the process is requiring more time than expected."

Those statements appear together in the county's summary of Sawyer's June 1 report.

Earlier county record identifies DEQ permitting role

The county's May 4 Board record also identifies DEQ in connection with the proposed wastewater plant.

According to that record, Sawyer reported that the wastewater plant remained under modeling review and that, once that process was complete, the information would be presented to the N.C. Department of Environmental Quality for review of discharge permits and related issues.

The record also states that Sawyer described high-rate infiltration basins as a backup plan if the county did not receive the NPDES permit it was seeking.

What Camden Tribune asked DEQ

Camden Tribune provided DEQ with the August 3 meeting recording and the approximate location of Sawyer's statement.

The Tribune asked the agency, among other questions:

"Does DEQ agree that staffing shortages have delayed any Camden County water or wastewater approval discussed during the August 3 meeting?"

Camden Tribune also asked DEQ to identify each project or application, submission and completeness dates, requests for additional information or technical work, the amount of time spent in active state review and whether staffing limitations materially affected any review.

DEQ says no related submission is currently under review

Josh Kastrinsky, DEQ's deputy communications director, responded Friday afternoon.

He began:

"While we will work on the rest of your questions next week, addressing your initial question:"

Kastrinsky then wrote:

"Camden County has been in touch with multiple programs within DEQ regarding potential expansion of their drinking water infrastructure in the South Camden Water and Sewer District, and associated wastewater discharge. To date, there is not a project submission related to this work under review by DEQ for drinking water or wastewater."

DEQ describes wastewater work beginning in 2024

Kastrinsky provided a chronology of the wastewater-discharge work.

He wrote:

"In June 2024, Camden presented Division of Water Resources (DWR) staff with potential discharge locations for a new wastewater treatment facility, to cover between 250,000 and 1 million gallons per day of flow. In May 2025, DWR approved a water quality model plan for a section of the Pasquotank River."

He then described a July 2026 meeting involving the county and its contracted engineers:

"Based on a July 2026 meeting with the county and contracted engineers, DWR expects to receive a final modeling report, an alternatives analysis and explanation of the proposed design flow from the county in the near future."

Kastrinsky described what would follow those submissions:

"After those are submitted, the next steps from DWR would be model review, speculative limits issuance, and then a permit application submittal for the proposed discharge."

DEQ says extension was requested on separately funded project

Kastrinsky also addressed a project involving DEQ's Division of Water Infrastructure.

He wrote:

"DEQ's Division of Water Infrastructure, which provides funding for water and wastewater projects throughout the state, has received a scope of work for a project that received legislative earmarks for funding."

He continued:

"The water system/county has requested an extension on the timeline to turn plans and specifications to DEQ, slated for November 2026."

DEQ's preliminary response did not identify in that paragraph the project's formal name, original plans-and-specifications deadline or the reason for the extension.

The Tribune has asked DEQ for those details.

What Chairman Banks told the Tribune about state staffing

Camden Tribune separately submitted written interview questions to Board Chairman Jason Banks concerning the infrastructure timeline, project milestones, state staffing and contingency planning.

Asked what documentation supported the county's public statement regarding state staffing shortages, Banks wrote:

"Mr Sawyer may speak to that. I believe he stated delays were possible due to state staffing shortages. State staffing shortages have been noted since Covid."

Camden Tribune also asked what oversight the Board had exercised to determine whether any part of the timeline involved incomplete applications, requests for additional information or additional work by the county or its consultants.

Banks responded:

"I believe the premise of your question is incorrect."

When Camden Tribune asked which part of the premise he disputed, Banks replied:

"what delay are you citing?"

Banks on schedules, milestones and contingency planning

Asked whether the current Board had received a written project schedule containing permit-submission dates, regulatory-review milestones, anticipated bidding dates and construction deadlines, Banks wrote:

"the public moratorium update. If you review that, we are still awaiting Timmons group study that you have alluded to in other requests I believe."

Asked what specific project milestones had been completed and what remained outstanding as of August 5, Banks responded:

"again, please review moratorium updates."

Asked whether the Board presently had a specific contingency plan if the required approvals or infrastructure projects were not completed before the current moratorium terminates, Banks wrote:

"the board would find itself at a decision whether or not to utilize moratorium avenues when the current one expires."

Banks later responds to Tribune concerns

A subsequent exchange developed after Banks sent an August 6 message concerning the Tribune's public-records request.

Camden Tribune told Banks that portions of that message could reasonably be understood as discouraging continued questioning and asked him to clarify his position.

Banks rejected that interpretation in an additional response sent Friday evening.

He wrote:

"You misinterpret and misrepresent the intent of my earlier message which I will note is separate from the interview responses. It was written in a straightforward manner and contained no threat—veiled or otherwise—nor any suggestion that you would face consequences from county staff. You will not."

Banks continued:

"You are fully entitled in any capacity under North Carolina law to request public records, and Camden County will process the request as the Public Records Act requires."

Responding to Camden Tribune's statement that it would not be deterred from seeking records, Banks wrote:

"You are overreading and should not feel deterred. You are free to submit requests in any capacity—as a citizen, journalist, or otherwise—and to separate those roles as you see fit."

He added:

"I asked only that you be considerate of County staff and resources with your inordinate (but completely permissible) volume of requests."

Banks gives assurance on records and press access

Camden Tribune asked Banks to confirm that the publisher's candidacy, reporting and substance of the questions would not affect the county's handling of public-records requests, access to public information or treatment of press inquiries.

Banks responded:

"Your candidacy, reporting, and the substance of your questions will not affect the county’s processing of your public-records request, your access to public information, or the treatment of press inquiries available to any other Camden County resident or news organization."

Camden Tribune also asked Banks to identify any portion of the records request requiring clarification or narrowing and to identify any intended special service charge.

He responded:

"Any such determination will be made by the records custodian in accordance with statute."

Banks says he is hesitant to continue dialogue

Camden Tribune had also told Banks that if he preferred not to answer further voluntary interview questions, Camden Tribune would report that decision accurately and would not characterize it as an admission, evidence of wrongdoing or support for a predetermined conclusion.

Banks responded:

"I do not have faith or confidence that you will publish fair representation without mischaracterization. In a very short period, you have already incorrectly drawn conclusions. I am hesitant to continue any dialogue with you as an independent journalist or publisher."

He also wrote that he had maintained professional and productive relationships with media organizations during his 12 years of public service and concluded:

"I assure you I had nothing but the best of intentions through this dialogue."

Banks did not state that he would categorically decline future interview requests.

His hesitation about further dialogue is not being characterized by Camden Tribune as an admission, evidence of wrongdoing, or support for any conclusion concerning the county's infrastructure projects.

Four infrastructure questions remain open

Camden Tribune's email to Banks also included four additional questions concerning the infrastructure work.

It asked whether the April 24, 2024 Timmons Group proposal was the study Banks said the county was still awaiting; whether the "public moratorium update" refers to a particular written document or verbal meeting updates; during which meeting Sawyer discussed the state staffing shortages Banks referenced; and whether a specific contingency plan has been adopted for the expiration of the subdivision moratorium.

Banks's Friday evening response addressed the dispute over his earlier correspondence, public-records access and continued communication with the Tribune.

It did not provide new answers to those four infrastructure questions.

That statement is not being characterized as a refusal to answer them.

Transparency disclosure

Camden Tribune Publisher Francisco Salmeron is a candidate for the Camden County Board of Commissioners.

The interview questions and public-records request discussed in this report were not submitted by the Committee to Elect Francisco Salmeron campaign or on behalf of the campaign.

The interview questions were submitted through Camden Tribune as part of its reporting. The public-records request was submitted as a citizen request concerning official county business.

The candidacy is disclosed because Chairman Banks referenced it in his correspondence and because Camden Tribune believes readers should have that context.

Sawyer and Burke did not respond by deadline

Camden Tribune sought a response from Sawyer concerning his staffing statement and the infrastructure timeline.

No substantive response from Sawyer had been received by the Tribune's stated 3 p.m. Aug. 7 publication deadline.

County Manager Erin Burke also did not provide a substantive response to the Tribune's questions by that deadline.

The absence of a response is not being characterized as an admission, evidence of wrongdoing or agreement with any other source quoted in this report.

Any substantive response received after publication will be reviewed and incorporated into an update where appropriate.

What DEQ has not yet answered

DEQ expressly said Friday that it would continue working on the remainder of Camden Tribune's questions next week.

Among the questions still awaiting a project-specific response are whether staffing shortages materially delayed any particular Camden County water or wastewater approval; the submission and completeness dates for the projects discussed Aug. 3; whether DEQ requested revisions, additional information or technical work; and how much elapsed time involved active DEQ review compared with time awaiting materials from the county or its consultants.

Camden Tribune also asked whether DEQ ever told Camden County that the NPDES process at issue would take 24 months and whether the December 2026 expiration of the subdivision moratorium had been presented to DEQ as a deadline requiring expedited review.

Those questions were not answered in DEQ's preliminary Friday response.

Publication timeline

Camden Tribune provided county and state officials with a 3 p.m. Friday, August 7 deadline for responses to be included in the initial report.

The deadline was an editorial deadline for inclusion in the initial article. It was not presented as a statutory deadline for production of public records.

DEQ's preliminary response arrived at approximately 4:31 p.m. Friday.

Chairman Banks sent an additional response at approximately 6:26 p.m.

Although both arrived after the stated editorial deadline, Camden Tribune included the substantive information from both responses before publication.

No substantive response from Sawyer or County Manager Burke had been received by the stated 3 p.m. deadline.

Source records

• Camden County Board of Commissioners meeting recording — August 3, 2026 — Sawyer's staffing statement begins at approximately 1:31:22.
• Camden County Board of Commissioners agendas and meeting records.
• Camden Tribune's previous reporting on the wastewater infrastructure timeline.

Primary-source note: This report also relies on written correspondence between Camden Tribune and Camden County Board Chairman Jason Banks dated Aug. 5-7 and an August 7 written response from NC DEQ Deputy Communications Director Josh Kastrinsky. The original email records are retained by Camden Tribune.

Reporting note

This is a developing report.

Statements concerning regulatory review, staffing, project status, Board planning and the correspondence between Camden Tribune and county officials have been attributed to the official, agency, meeting record or written communication from which they originate.

Camden Tribune is not treating an official's decision not to respond, hesitation to continue an interview, or disagreement with Camden Tribune as an admission, evidence of wrongdoing or proof of any disputed factual proposition.

The report will be updated when DEQ provides its remaining answers or when Camden County officials provide additional substantive information.