Important Public Meeting

Once again your support is needed to help prevent possible damage to the fragile Green Swamp environment.  In late November 2010 we learned that the NC Division of Solid Waste (DSW) had issued a draft permit (SLAS 24-08) to Waste Management of Wilmington that would allow them to use 41.8 acres of Riegel Ridge’s Green Swamp property to dispose of up to 1.3 million gallons of septage waste in the first year of operation.  Indications are that Waste Management will expand the size of this operation in subsequent years and can do so without public notice. Septage is defined as a fluid mixture of untreated and partially treated sewage solids, liquids, and sludge of human or domestic origin from septic tanks, grease traps, portable toilets and commercial/industrial septage from septic tanks where water-carried waste results from the process of industry.  Efforts to fight this proposal are already underway and in response to public concerns DSW has agreed to hold a public hearing on the project even though it is not a requirement of the permitting process.

What can you do to help?  Plan to attend the public hearing 6:30 p.m. at the Whiteville High School Auditorium on Thursday, February 10, 2011. The hearing will give the public an opportunity to express concerns about the possible negative impact of this proposed project on the Green Swamp, Lake Waccamaw and the Waccamaw River.  If you wish to speak at the hearing, hopefully in opposition to the project, you can register at the hearing and you will be allowed five minutes to make your comments.  Even if you don’t speak, your attendance at the hearing is vitally important to show DSW that there is significant public concern about this project.  Please encourage your friends and neighbors to attend as well so that we can fill Bowers Auditorium.  The public notice about this hearing and an article by Nicole Cartrette appeared in the January 20, 2011 issue of the News Reporter.  Learn what you can about the project by researching the rules and regulations related to septage disposal.  DSW’s website at www.wastenotnc.org is a good starting point and Nicole Cartrette has written several excellent articles about this project in the News Reporter during December and January.  Included with this letter is a brief list of some of the concerns identified by Friends of the Green Swamp.

Here’s are some of the issues we hope will be addressed at this public meeting:

1. Can the 41.8 acre site assimilate up to 1.3 million gallons of septage per year?  There were concerns about soil conditions, poor drainage in the area and a high water table when the landfill was being proposed.
2. According to the permit, application of the septage may leave no standing water.  How can this be done in light of the above concerns?
3. The draft permit limits application to 50,000 gallons per acre per year on the grass/grain 11.8 acres in the first year, but the application suggests that up to 165,000 gallons per acre per year may be applied in subsequent years.
4. The application identifies 115 acres as being suitable for septage application and Waste Management has indicated that the project may be expanded beyond the initial 41.8 acres.
5. The application also states that the pine stands in Fields 1 and 4 will be reevaluated after two years and could be replaced with Bermuda grass fields to increase the volume of septage that could be applied.  Is there a potential of 115 acres at 165,000 gals per acre per year?
6. What controls will be used to prevent runoff or migration of wastes off of the designated site, as required by the permit, and what is the effectiveness history of these controls?
7. How will spray drift be contained within the permitted area as required by the permit?
8. How will contamination of groundwater be prevented?  What will be done to insure that hydraulic loading is such that it will percolate and be used by the vegetation in order to prevent surface water runoff into ditches and/or discharge into the aquifers?
9. Who will do the monitoring/testing and will any findings be shared with the public?
10. Waste Management says no industrial waste will be applied, but that category is checked on the application and is noted in the permit.
11. What about contaminants not removed in the typical water treatment process, such as pathogens, pharmaceuticals, pesticides, solvents, etc.?
12. Columbus County Commissioners’ concerns: close proximity to Lake Waccamaw, risk to endangered species, increased traffic flow, odor and discouragement to prospective businesses and industries.
13. What about the impact on the adjoining Juniper Creek Game Lands property and the nearby Nature Conservancy Green Swamp Preserve?
14. What about the impact on wildlife that may enter the application area?  The application states that there are no endangered or threatened species on the site.  How was this determined and by whom?
15. What about the effects of high pH on the soil in the application areas?
16. What about the volume of septage to be applied per acre?  Nutrient loading must be less than the expected uptake by vegetation.
17. Have alternative disposal methods been considered?
18. The soil scientist who did the study says that a major site limitation is the presence of wetlands throughout the site, but then makes the statement that site limitations are considered minimal.  Which is it?
19. Shouldn’t water monitoring ground wells be required around the application site in an environmentally sensitive area like the Green Swamp?
20. What about studies that have shown that some contaminants are not removed by the treatment process?  BREDL is a good source for this information.
21. DSW referred to the landfill site as “marginally suitable at best” because of the high ground-water table, questionable on-site soil resources and impacts on adjacent and nearby environmentally sensitive features such as wetlands, flood plains, and state nature and historic preserves.  Aren’t these concerns valid for this project as well?
22. The area is susceptible to flooding during heavy rainfall events and nutrient uptake potential of the area would not be a deterrent to septage movement out of the area during flooding.
23. Groundwater contamination by nitrogen may occur if the nitrogen applied in sludge is greater than the crop requires.
24. If land application of septage is such a great idea, why has the state of Florida passed legislation to phase out the practice by January 1, 2016?

 

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