Sewage groundwater contamination; People to learn about dangerous sludge on Thursday

Submitted by Southern Coalit... on Tue, 08/11/2009 - 3:33pm

The City of Raleigh has been pushing to allow for a waiver of an 80 million dollar fine for allowing widespread groundwater contamination from its sewage treatment plant near the Neuse River.

For years, the City ordered workers to spread sewage sludge residue from its Neuse River Sewage Treatment plant over thousands of acres of land near the Neuse River. The State of North Carolina fined Raleigh around 80 million and ordered it to find a way to clean up their mess. Yet Raleigh believes that this is pointless, and would prefer nature to take its course so that natural processes will eventually clean up the soil.

With thousands of acres of Wake County and other area fields contaminated with high levels of nitrates, which can harm humans and cause fish kills downstream. The spreading of thousands of pound of sewage waste from Raleigh obviously has negative impacts of people who live in surrounding areas, similar to the problems community members in Duplin County are having with the spraying of hog waste on fields.

On Thursday, August 13, 2009, folks from the community of New Hill in Southwestern Wake County will be watching an award winning documentary "Sludge Diet." Community members and others will discuss the negative impact of sewage sludge being spread on fields, as well as the ongoing issues of environmental racism involved with the placement of a potential sewage treatment plant in New Hill. The Southern Coalition for Social Justice and the New Hill Community Association will be hosting the event, which will be at the New Hill Baptist Church at 3700 Old US 1, in New Hil, NC at 7 pm.

Check out the event here

Editor: Factual errors struck through

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Facts Please

Submitted by gregflynn on Tue, 08/11/2009 - 7:02pm.

Your post has factual errors. The City of Raleigh has not been fined $80 million. The article you linked to is dated October 2007. The issue is ongoing with the next public hearing scheduled for September 9, 2009
BACKGROUND

The City of Raleigh (Raleigh) has applied for a variance to State Groundwater Standards, 15A NCAC 2L .0107(k)(3)(A). Raleigh has requested they be allowed to implement a natural attenuation corrective action plan (CAP) per 15A NCAC 2L .0106 for nitrates that have migrated offsite from the NRWWTP. State groundwater rules do not allow natural attenuation as a cleanup method used by permitted facilities, therefore a variance is being sought. Land application operations at this facility are regulated by Permit # WQ0001730. Raleigh is responsible for cleanup of nitrate that has migrated outside the permitted compliance boundary. DENR-DWQ recommends that natural attenuation with groundwater containment is appropriate based on information contained in the variance request and technical review by DWQ staff.

The area for which the variance is requested is land at the NRWWTP in the southeast portion of Wake County consisting of approximately 1,466 acres and 37 parcels of land adjacent to the property along Old Baucom Road, Mial Plantation Road, Shotwell Road, and Battlebridge Road. The City of Raleigh Public Utility Department (CORPUD), One Exchange Plaza, Suite 620, Raleigh, NC, used its land to apply wastewater treatment plant residuals. CORPUD has currently suspended the application of residuals. Properties surrounding this site consist of residential properties, farmland, commercial, and state-owned forestland.
Nearby private wells that were impacted by nitrate associated with the over-application of residuals have either been abandoned per the state’s well construction rules in 15A NCAC 2C .0100 or are no longer in use as a source of drinking water supply. Downgradient private well owners with abandoned wells are now served by water from Raleigh.

If granted, the variance will require implementation of corrective action under 15A NCAC 2L .0106(k) and will lead to changes in the permit including downgradient containment and long term monitoring of nitrate in lieu of a full scale cleanup. The proposed variance request will not change the standard for nitrate of 10 milligrams per liter that the facility must meet under its permit obligations. No other substance monitored at this facility is under consideration. As proposed, the variance implements on-site mitigation (installation of three subsurface flow wetlands) to address nitrate-contaminated groundwater that is impacting several streams that discharge into the Neuse River. Active remediation has been initiated to treat contaminated groundwater near the intersection of Mial Plantation Road and Baucom Roads, areas where groundwater may be restored as a future source of drinking water. The alternative remediation of streams through the use of subsurface flow wetlands and the active groundwater remediation system will be included in the DWQ Permit # WQ0001730.

The City of Raleigh has not been fined. It is under an obligation to mitigate the nitrogen contamination of groundwater from excessive land-application of sewage sludge. In 2007 the City, which to that point had spent $40 million on remediation, questioned the unproven effectiveness of well drilling clean up program with an estimated $80 million price tag.

If you want people to be concerned about the New Hill situation you should stick to the facts instead of sensationalizing and distorting to get attention. That kind of manipulation undermines your credibility. Please correct the post.