Critical staffing shortage at NC Department of Environmental Quality

Already stretched thin, the North Carolina agency responsible for protecting the state's environment is severely understaffed, according to new data.

Nearly one in five positions at the Department of Environmental Quality is unfilled.

With important duties such as testing lakes for dog-killing algae and holding polluters of air and drinking water accountable, the lack of resources could impact North Carolinians' safety.

"We already are asking environmental enforcers to cover too much ground because they haven't been given the resources they need to protect us and our families," said Patrick McHugh, a research manager with the NC Budget and Tax Center.

According to the DEQ, recruitment challenges and retention challenges go hand-in-hand.

"The vacancies and the difficulty filling those vacancies means existing staff are taking on increased workload or working longer hours. The result is longer lead times on some permitting processes and increased stress on our staff," a DEQ spokesperson wrote in an email.

Other state agencies are experiencing a similar staffing crisis, with job compensation often far below the industry standard. The average annual salary of a for a DEQ Engineer I is $58,765, while the average NC State engineering graduate's salary is nearly $15,000 more.

"When you look at the data, federal employment is not down. Local employment is not down. It's only at the state level that you see this massive drop off," said McHugh, who compared data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics and the N.C. Office of State Human Resources.

The DEQ says 56% of it's offers were declined based on pay and more than a third of employees who left the agency cited salary as the reason.

DEQ positions are funded from a variety of sources, including state budget appropriations, federal funds, and receipts. Most of DEQ’s receipt-funded programs have not seen fee increases since 2007.

North Carolina State University economist Michael Walden says that the increased job security and benefits such as pensions could make state jobs more appealing in the event of a recession. Currently, there are two open positions for every unemployed person.

"The labor market has allowed people looking for work to be picky, but it's slowing," Walden said.

DEQ may be even more reliant on new recruits over the next five years, with more than 450 employees slated to become eligible for retirement.