Chatham County Commissioners Actions on Coal Ash (2015)

Source: "21 A-to-Z highlights of what the Chatham County Board of Commissioners accomplished in 2015"

"Chatham had no authority to stop 12 million tons of coal ash from being dumped in Moncure at the former Brickhaven clay pit.  We did send a resolution, dated Dec 15, 2014 opposing the disposal of coal ash in Chatham County and I detailed the problems with the permit at the State’s public hearing at our courthouse that month.  However, the “structural fill” permit was approved by the NC Division of Mining and Land Resources in 2015 and the work on expanding the clay pit (from 29 acres to, eventually, 350 acres) and making giant coal ash burritos is underway.  Trucks began hauling in late October, and several truck accidents occurred because of increased traffic.

"Coal ash transport changed from truck to primarily rail in January 2016 when the railroad spur was completed.  Over time, the county will receive $18 million ($1.50/ton) for taking this stuff.   The initial vote on the deal with Duke Energy was 3 to 2 (Karen Howard and Diana Hales, against).  In November 2015 the BOC agreed to spend the initial $6 million Duke Energy money on Moncure needs; almost $2 million will be spent on upgrading the Moncure fire department equipment and paying off their debt, as well as additional funds to finish the Sprout Youth Center in Moncure, citizen water testing, connections to county water as needed, air monitoring, and other contingencies as they occur.   Bottled water is now being provided (until connections are established to County water lines) to four residences in the area with high levels of hexavalent chromium, which was discovered in the county’s baseline water sampling.'


"The County will continue to inspect and monitor the dump site where we have local authority in stormwater and erosion control, coal ash sampling and groundwater sampling, and will take action when necessary.  We will report air testing findings on the county website.  The second air testing in November when coal ash was moving by trucks showed increases from the baseline testing in magnesium, silicon and titanium...but were within OSHA air quality standards.  There was NO detection of vanadium or selenium in this sample.'
 
"Leachate.  The leachate from Brickhaven coal ash is collected in a million-gallon tank and will eventually be trucked to the Sanford wastewater treatment facility at Buffalo Creek on the Cape Fear. The leachate contains heavy metals, such as boron, selenium and hexavalent chromium and vanadium, all carcinogens.  At the end of the treatment cycle it is assumed that these metals will be incorporated in the sludge that could be spread on land along Bear Creek in Chatham County where land application sludge permits exist.  The County Environmental Review Advisory Committee is looking into these issues.'"