waste transfer station proposal on Orange Grove Road
Keith Houck
Greetings,
I write to express my opinions about the proposed waste management center on Orange Grove Road. I find the proposal lacking in a number of ways. To begin with, an obvious deficiency in the planning process is readily evident from the maps of the proposed waste facility provided to the public. No residences in the vicinity are included! Clearly, this should be a major consideration in choosing a site. This site directly impacts the Collins Creek neighborhood and other nearby homes. Concerns over increased traffic, noise, smell and potential groundwater contamination are all inconsistent with the desires of these residents (of which I am one). As a retired federal worker, I think back to my career when I reminded myself each day as I entered my office, "I work for the American people, not myself, corporations or special interest groups. Do what is in the public’s best interest". This proposal appears to have been developed with the myopic blinders of the county’s waste management group only.
Second, a benefit of closing the Ferguson and Bradshaw Quarry sites was stated as removing these from the University Lake and Cane Creek watersheds, respectively, both drinking water protected watersheds. However, this site will be in the Haw River watershed. While not protected in the same way, it is a drinking water source for other communities and a possible one for Orange County in the future to satisfy growing demand. Further, the Haw is a treasure in our backyard, serving as a recreation and scenic role for county residences. However, it is in a fragile state due to numerous insults, a death by a thousand cuts as the Haw River Assembly describes it, and the proposed location for the waste management site would be another potential cut. The proposal needs more evidence that no impact on the environmental health of the area will occur and how that will be monitored. The stated use of “retention ponds and evaporation” are entirely unacceptable in providing confidence this will be addressed. It is also likely illegal dumping will increase in the vicinity of the closed sites due to added inconvenience, something none of us want.
The proposal also describes a benefit from this site location as allowing increased field application of biosludge for OWASA. There is already significant biosludge applied in this area of Orange County. Directly across Orange Grove Road from the proposed site is an apparent retention pond that receives runoff from the OWASA fields on the proposed site via a culvert under Orange Grove Road. This pond is obviously a eutrophic mess year around. The over-application of nitrogen-containing waste from the biosolids applied to the fields is the likely cause of this. While readily visible through the bright green growth of algae masses, unseen are other contaminants of the biosolids runoff. Has the area been tested for existing problems? Heavy metal accumulation? Pharmaceutical contamination (common in sewage waste water)? Contaminants of emerging concern (e.g. PFAS chemicals}? How would the public have confidence this will not be increased with the proposed addition of the waste management site?
The proposal and public information sessions have not provided an understanding of the planning process in several respects. It was stated the existing sites were not suitable for continued operation and could not be upgraded to desired standards but what was actually considered? Were all possibilities considered? Building with newer materials compatible with minimizing impermeable surfaces (now becoming widely used in coastal environments)? Creative approaches to easier access to the height of disposal bins like ramps? Lined pits for the containers to contain spills/leakage and at the same time easier access? I would think the money proposed for this project would go much further in upgrading existing sites rather than starting a new one from scratch. This would also reduce access to local disposal sites for large sections of the county lying on the periphery of the existing sites.
Traffic impacts will not be insignificant. The relatively recent improvement of the Orange Grove Road/Hwy 54 intersection is an improvement but this is still a problematic and dangerous intersection. I feel this will be much worse for both incoming and outgoing traffic onto the highway and may need a new traffic light. The traffic light may be needed for safety but it will not make many people happy with increased impedance to traffic flow on a major artery into Chapel Hill/Carrboro. Indeed, it will likely lead to accidents itself as has the light at Dodsons Crossroads and Hwy 54. Further, the blind curve on Orange Grove Road which is essentially at the proposed entrance to the waste management site seems particularly inappropriate. A steep drop into trees on the west side of the curve foreshadows potential for disastrous accidents as there is little room for avoiding a collision with a sudden stopped vehicle in the travel lane.
The proposed long entrance road to the site is probably long enough to allow drivers to achieve significant speed relative to a gravel road and raise large volumes of dust, especially during our long summer dry-spells. How will dust be controlled? This may be particularly challenging since users of the facility will be mostly from outside the immediate area and, thus, less likely to have concern over impact to the area.
I am strongly opposed to the project proposal for the OWASA land site off Orange Grove Road. Please reconsider this plan and look for more acceptable alternatives.
Sincerely,
Keith Houck
9622 Collins Creek Dr
Chapel Hill, NC 27516