Alcoa Announces Environmental Hotline

Alcoa today announced that the company is making available its telephone hotline system for area residents to report any suspected environmental issues related to operation of the former Badin Works aluminum smelter or the Yadkin Hydroelectric Project.

The hotline is managed by a third-party, EthicsPoint, and is available 24 hours a day by calling 1-800-346-7319. EthicsPoint will take information from callers, who may remain anonymous if they choose. EthicsPoint then submits a report to Alcoa for handling.  Callers may check back periodically with EthicsPoint to receive updates from Alcoa on the status of the report and answer potential requests for more information or clarification. 

The hotline is being made available to collect information about suspected environmental contamination that area residents believe has not been previously reported or investigated. 

“Alcoa has worked closely with state and federal officials for more than 20 years to properly address environmental issues on our property,” said Kevin Anton, Chief Sustainability Officer for Alcoa. “While we are confident we have conducted a full and thorough survey, this hotline will help us be sure by making it easier for people to bring concerns to our attention.”  

Alcoa has operated a hotline system for employees since 1993.

Uwharrie Commission holds first meeting

The Uwharrie Regional Resources Commission, established by the NC General Assembly last year to protect and promote the region's natural resources, held its first meeting last night in Stanly County. Karissa Minn with the Salisbury Post has a recap of the meeting.

One of the primary tasks involved selecting the commission's leadership. Tony Dennis, chairman of the Stanly County Board of Commissioners, was elected chairman. Max Walser, former chairman of the Davidson County Board of Commissioners, was elected vice chairman. Jason Walser, executive director of the Central Piedmont LandTrust, was elected secretary and treasurer.

Other members of the commission include Keith Crisco, Roger Dick, Dee Freeman, Martha Sue Hall, Zoe Hanes, David Jones, Bill Mullinix, Jim Nance and Becky Wallace.

The group's next meeting will be February 24. 

Alcoa to lower High Rock Lake for pier maintenance, excavation

Alcoa Power Generating Inc. (APGI) will lower High Rock Lake to 10 feet below full by February 1, a move that will allow lakefront property owners to perform pier maintenance and excavate reservoir sediments to maintain or create recreational boat access.  Water levels will remain 10 feet below full for three weeks, before APGI begins refilling the reservoir to normal levels.


"We have many property owners around the lake who have obtained excavation permits and are eager to improve access to their piers," said Marshall Olson, Environment and Natural Resources Manager for APGI’s Yadkin Project. "Water levels at High Rock have not dropped low enough to excavate in more than three years, so we are trying to accommodate those property owners who have requested a drawdown.


“This should also provide a boost in business during a relatively slow time of year for area contractors who provide excavation and pier maintenance services.”


High Rock Lake is a shallow reservoir that accumulates sediment that flows downstream from upper portions of the Yadkin River. Because piers require a minimum water depth of 8 feet, the Yadkin Shoreline Management Plan allows for excavation of sediments at High Rock Lake.


Homeowners who wish to excavate around their piers must receive prior written approval from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the North Carolina Division of Water Quality, and the North Carolina Department of Cultural Resources (as necessary) and submit an application to APGI. For more information about excavation regulations, refer to the Shoreline Stewardship Policy of the Shoreline Management Plan at: www.alcoa.com/yadkin/en/info_page/stewardship_alteration.asp.


The exact drawdown schedule may be impacted by heavy rainfall or other unforeseen weather events. For updates about the drawdown, visit the APGI website at www.alcoa.com/yadkin.

Renovation Gives Historic Conference Center Fresh New Look

Alcoa’s Badin Conference Center has a fresh new look, thanks to a renovation project nearing completion.

The center, owned by Alcoa, is benefiting from $45,000 in improvements, including restoration of the building’s single-pane windows, fresh paint on the interior, and an exterior pressure wash.

The work was performed by Stokes Construction Co. of Albemarle.

“The Badin Conference Center provides an important service to the community, in addition to supporting Alcoa’s need for meeting space,” said Mark Stiffler, Director of Asset Management for Alcoa. “This project protects this historic building and ensures it will be available for years to come.”

The conference center was built by Alcoa in 1916 and operated as the Badin Hospital.  After the Hospital stopped operating, Alcoa utilized the facility for various office and administrative purposes. In 1988, Alcoa spent $288,000 to complete a historically correct renovation to the facility and converted it into a conference center and training facility.

Since that time, various Alcoa, Town of Badin and retiree group meetings have been held there.  During the Town of Badin’s Strategic Planning project in 2009, funded by an Alcoa Foundation grant, monthly planning meetings were held in the Badin Conference Center.

Remaining work on the restoration project, expected to be completed in the coming weeks, includes repointing and sealing bricks on the exterior of the building.

Alcoa Power Generating to Challenge State’s Effort to Revoke Water Quality Certificate

Alcoa Power Generating Inc. is disappointed and surprised by the state’s plans to start proceedings to revoke the Yadkin Project’s 401 Water Quality Certificate and will immediately challenge the state’s effort, the company announced today.

The certificate, which lays out a plan for APGI’s Yadkin Project to meet water standards, was issued in 2009 by the North Carolina Division of Water Quality and is currently under appeal by APGI and other parties.

“Our team of experts developed a comprehensive plan to improve water quality and we are already seeing improvement,” said Rick Bowen, president of Alcoa Energy. “We do not believe the state’s decision is justified or appropriate.

“We believe that rather than continue litigation, it would be better to work together toward an outcome that protects the environment and promotes economic development and jobs for residents of North Carolina.”

APGI, a subsidiary of Alcoa, is currently applying to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission for a new operating license for the Yadkin Project. FERC will not issue a license until a 401 Water Quality Certificate is granted by the state of North Carolina. 

In May 2009, the state’s Division of Water Quality issued a certificate that included a plan to install new technology at APGI’s Yadkin Project to improve dissolved oxygen (DO) levels. The installation is not yet complete, but already DO levels are meeting the state’s standards much of the time. At the Falls Dam, for example, DO standards were met 97 percent of the time in 2009

“This same technology is widely and successfully used in the hydropower industry, including more than 15 locations in North Carolina and surrounding states,” Bowen said.

Throughout the 401 application process, APGI worked with state officials, supplying information in the form of monitoring data and other reports to document our approach to meeting water quality standards. No material information was withheld from the state of North Carolina.

“Alcoa Power Generating understands that meeting water quality standards is not optional,” Bowen said. “If the state of North Carolina is concerned that this technology is not adequate, the current 401 certificate contains a ‘reopener’ that allows new conditions to be imposed.

“The state’s decision to revoke our current certificate is unreasonable and was taken without adequate notice or opportunity for response. We plan a vigorous response.”