On the heels of a Badin Lake fish study conducted by the N.C. Division of Public Health, the N.C. Division of Water Quality has said it will study the source of PCB contamination in Badin Lake.
It certainly should. The fish study has understandably raised concerns among lake residents.
It is my hope that this will lead to greater scrutiny of upstream sources of contamination that could be causing PCBs to flow downstream and into Badin Lake.
A couple of reasons why upstream sources of contamination are a concern: (1) Three of the four fish with elevated levels of PCBs were located in the northwest portion of Badin Lake, several miles upstream of the Badin Works plant; and (2) Previous testing by the N.C. Division of Water Quality indicate that fish in the Yadkin River near Mocksville — upstream of Badin Lake — have been found to have elevated levels of PCBs.
At a public meeting on Wednesday, Department of Health officials said it makes sense to look upstream for sources of the contamination.
Some have questioned whether Alcoa has a role in the contamination found in the fish. Alcoa has been studying the sediments in Badin Lake closest to the Badin Works plant for years and has shared that data with the N.C. Division of Public Health and the N.C. Division of Waste Management. We provided a study as far back as 1997 that found low levels of PCBs in isolated pockets of sediment located near the Badin Works plant.
Here are two important points regarding those contaminated sediments:
(1) Importantly, the levels of PCBs in the sediment are already at or below levels typically required for cleanup by the Environmental Protection Agency.
(2) Sediment sampling conducted by Alcoa in Badin Lake in October 2008 demonstrated that contaminated sediments are isolated near outfall areas and are not migrating.
Rest assured, we take our environmental responsibility seriously and are continuing to work with the State of North Carolina to determine what additional work or ongoing monitoring might be necessary.
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2 comments:
Doesn't Duke Power have an old power plant up river?
There are many industrial projects along the Yadkin River. The Yadkin-Pee Dee River Basin Plan developed by the N.C. Division of Water Quality lists 233 facilities with permits to discharge into the river basin. This includes 45 facilities identified as industrial process / commercial. You can view the list here.
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