diff --git a/components/cmake/common_setup.cmake b/components/cmake/common_setup.cmake
index adc809293693..2290ec8c715d 100644
--- a/components/cmake/common_setup.cmake
+++ b/components/cmake/common_setup.cmake
@@ -107,12 +107,6 @@ else()
   endif()
 endif()
 
-# Have to do this here for now because the macros must be loaded in order for
-# the netcdf cmake variables to be set. Once scorpio has a good package-config,
-# this won't be necessary
-find_package(NETCDF REQUIRED)
-target_link_libraries(spio INTERFACE netcdf)
-
 # Set HAVE_SLASHPROC on LINUX systems which are not bluegene or Darwin (OSx)
 string(FIND "${CPPDEFS}" "-DLINUX" HAS_DLINUX)
 string(FIND "${CPPDEFS}" "DBG" HAS_DBG)
diff --git a/components/cmake/modules/FindNETCDF.cmake b/components/cmake/modules/FindNETCDF.cmake
index df7458f7f923..38284d15e492 100644
--- a/components/cmake/modules/FindNETCDF.cmake
+++ b/components/cmake/modules/FindNETCDF.cmake
@@ -11,57 +11,65 @@ if (TARGET netcdf)
   return()
 endif()
 
-# Pnetcdf is optional, and only if not running serial
-if (NOT MPILIB STREQUAL mpi-serial)
-  if (PNETCDF_PATH)
-    find_library(pnetcdf_lib pnetcdf REQUIRED PATHS ${PNETCDF_PATH}/lib)
-    find_path (pnetcdf_incdir pnetcdf.h REQUIRED PATHS ${PNETCDF_PATH}/include)
-  endif()
-endif()
+function(create_netcdf_target)
+  # Need to load macros to pick up netcdf vars. This should not impact
+  # the scope of the caller because we are doing this within a function
+  include(${CASEROOT}/Macros.cmake)
 
-if (NETCDF_C_PATH)
-  # Sanity checks
-  if (NOT NETCDF_FORTRAN_PATH)
-    message(FATAL_ERROR "NETCDF_C_PATH specified without NETCDF_FORTRAN_PATH")
+  # Pnetcdf is optional, and only if not running serial
+  if (NOT MPILIB STREQUAL mpi-serial)
+    if (PNETCDF_PATH)
+      find_library(pnetcdf_lib pnetcdf REQUIRED PATHS ${PNETCDF_PATH}/lib)
+      find_path (pnetcdf_incdir pnetcdf.h REQUIRED PATHS ${PNETCDF_PATH}/include)
+    endif()
   endif()
-  if (NOT EXISTS ${NETCDF_C_PATH}/lib AND NOT EXISTS ${NETCDF_C_PATH}/lib64)
-    message(FATAL_ERROR "NETCDF_C_PATH does not contain a lib or lib64 directory")
-  endif ()
-  if (NOT EXISTS ${NETCDF_FORTRAN_PATH}/lib AND NOT EXISTS ${NETCDF_FORTRAN_PATH}/lib64)
-    message(FATAL_ERROR "NETCDF_FORTRAN_PATH does not contain a lib or lib64 directory")
-  endif ()
 
-  # Find the libraries
-  find_library(netcdf_c_lib netcdf  REQUIRED PATHS ${NETCDF_C_PATH}/lib ${NETCDF_C_PATH}/lib64)
-  find_library(netcdf_f_lib netcdff REQUIRED PATHS ${NETCDF_FORTRAN_PATH}/lib ${NETCDF_FORTRAN_PATH}/lib64)
-  find_path (netcdf_c_incdir netcdf.h REQUIRED PATHS ${NETCDF_C_PATH}/include)
-  find_path (netcdf_f_incdir netcdf.inc REQUIRED PATHS ${NETCDF_FORTRAN_PATH}/include)
+  if (NETCDF_C_PATH)
+    # Sanity checks
+    if (NOT NETCDF_FORTRAN_PATH)
+      message(FATAL_ERROR "NETCDF_C_PATH specified without NETCDF_FORTRAN_PATH")
+    endif()
+    if (NOT EXISTS ${NETCDF_C_PATH}/lib AND NOT EXISTS ${NETCDF_C_PATH}/lib64)
+      message(FATAL_ERROR "NETCDF_C_PATH does not contain a lib or lib64 directory")
+    endif ()
+    if (NOT EXISTS ${NETCDF_FORTRAN_PATH}/lib AND NOT EXISTS ${NETCDF_FORTRAN_PATH}/lib64)
+      message(FATAL_ERROR "NETCDF_FORTRAN_PATH does not contain a lib or lib64 directory")
+    endif ()
 
-elseif (NETCDF_FORTRAN_PATH)
-  message(FATAL_ERROR "NETCDF_FORTRAN_PATH specified without NETCDF_C_PATH")
-elseif (NETCDF_PATH)
+    # Find the libraries
+    find_library(netcdf_c_lib netcdf  REQUIRED PATHS ${NETCDF_C_PATH}/lib ${NETCDF_C_PATH}/lib64)
+    find_library(netcdf_f_lib netcdff REQUIRED PATHS ${NETCDF_FORTRAN_PATH}/lib ${NETCDF_FORTRAN_PATH}/lib64)
+    find_path (netcdf_c_incdir netcdf.h REQUIRED PATHS ${NETCDF_C_PATH}/include)
+    find_path (netcdf_f_incdir netcdf.inc REQUIRED PATHS ${NETCDF_FORTRAN_PATH}/include)
 
-  # Sanity checks
-  if (NOT EXISTS ${NETCDF_PATH}/lib AND NOT EXISTS ${NETCDF_PATH}/lib64)
-    message(FATAL_ERROR "NETCDF_PATH does not contain a lib or lib64 directory")
-  endif ()
+  elseif (NETCDF_FORTRAN_PATH)
+    message(FATAL_ERROR "NETCDF_FORTRAN_PATH specified without NETCDF_C_PATH")
+  elseif (NETCDF_PATH)
 
-  find_library(netcdf_c_lib netcdf  REQUIRED PATHS ${NETCDF_PATH}/lib ${NETCDF_PATH}/lib64)
-  find_library(netcdf_f_lib netcdff REQUIRED PATHS ${NETCDF_PATH}/lib ${NETCDF_PATH}/lib64)
-  find_path (netcdf_c_incdir netcdf.h REQUIRED PATHS ${NETCDF_PATH}/include)
-  find_path (netcdf_f_incdir netcdf.inc REQUIRED PATHS ${NETCDF_PATH}/include)
-else()
-  message(FATAL_ERROR "NETCDF not found: Define NETCDF_PATH or NETCDF_C_PATH and NETCDF_FORTRAN_PATH in config_machines.xml or config_compilers.xml")
-endif()
+    # Sanity checks
+    if (NOT EXISTS ${NETCDF_PATH}/lib AND NOT EXISTS ${NETCDF_PATH}/lib64)
+      message(FATAL_ERROR "NETCDF_PATH does not contain a lib or lib64 directory")
+    endif ()
+
+    find_library(netcdf_c_lib netcdf  REQUIRED PATHS ${NETCDF_PATH}/lib ${NETCDF_PATH}/lib64)
+    find_library(netcdf_f_lib netcdff REQUIRED PATHS ${NETCDF_PATH}/lib ${NETCDF_PATH}/lib64)
+    find_path (netcdf_c_incdir netcdf.h REQUIRED PATHS ${NETCDF_PATH}/include)
+    find_path (netcdf_f_incdir netcdf.inc REQUIRED PATHS ${NETCDF_PATH}/include)
+  else()
+    message(FATAL_ERROR "NETCDF not found: Define NETCDF_PATH or NETCDF_C_PATH and NETCDF_FORTRAN_PATH in config_machines.xml or config_compilers.xml")
+  endif()
+
+  set (pnetcdf_lib ${pnetcdf_lib})
+  set (netcdf_c_lib ${netcdf_c_lib})
+  set (netcdf_f_lib ${netcdf_f_lib})
+  set (pnetcdf_incdir ${pnetcdf_incdir})
+  set (netcdf_c_incdir ${netcdf_c_incdir})
+  set (netcdf_f_incdir ${netcdf_f_incdir})
 
-set (pnetcdf_lib ${pnetcdf_lib})
-set (netcdf_c_lib ${netcdf_c_lib})
-set (netcdf_f_lib ${netcdf_f_lib})
-set (pnetcdf_incdir ${pnetcdf_incdir})
-set (netcdf_c_incdir ${netcdf_c_incdir})
-set (netcdf_f_incdir ${netcdf_f_incdir})
+  # Create the interface library, and set target properties
+  add_library(netcdf INTERFACE)
+  target_link_libraries(netcdf INTERFACE ${pnetcdf_lib};${netcdf_c_lib};${netcdf_f_lib})
+  target_include_directories(netcdf INTERFACE ${pnetcdf_incdir};${netcdf_c_incdir};${netcdf_f_incdir})
+endfunction()
 
-# Create the interface library, and set target properties
-add_library(netcdf INTERFACE)
-target_link_libraries(netcdf INTERFACE ${pnetcdf_lib};${netcdf_c_lib};${netcdf_f_lib})
-target_include_directories(netcdf INTERFACE ${pnetcdf_incdir};${netcdf_c_incdir};${netcdf_f_incdir})
+create_netcdf_target()
diff --git a/components/cmake/modules/FindPIO.cmake b/components/cmake/modules/FindPIO.cmake
index e339576cb7fb..5693483a9633 100644
--- a/components/cmake/modules/FindPIO.cmake
+++ b/components/cmake/modules/FindPIO.cmake
@@ -23,6 +23,8 @@ else()
   set(PIOLIBS "${PIO_LIBDIR}/libpio.a")
 endif()
 
+find_package(NETCDF REQUIRED)
+
 # Create the interface library, and set target properties
 add_library(spio INTERFACE)
-target_link_libraries(spio INTERFACE ${PIOLIBS})
+target_link_libraries(spio INTERFACE ${PIOLIBS};netcdf)