By Nicole Eastman, Riverkeeper Assistant and Watershed Protection Specialist
A group photo of meeting attendees from several partnering organizations
On May 21, the Division of Waste Management (DWM) held a community meeting to listen to the concerns of West Badin residents regarding the legacy pollution left behind by Alcoa and to present the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) Part B permit renewal process. Yadkin Riverkeeper (YRK), the Concerned Citizens of West Badin (CCWB), Duke Environmental Law and Policy Clinic (ELPC), North Carolina Environmental Justice Network (NCEJN), the Southern Environmental Law Center (SELC), and the Southern Coalition for Social Justice (SCSJ) attended the meeting to share input on the RCRA permit process.
The meeting started with YRK board member, Richard Leak and many other members of the Concerned Citizens of West Badin bravely sharing their stories and describing the lasting impacts of the aluminum smelting plant on their community and health. YRK’s Board President and resident of Badin, Colleen McDaniel shared a comment describing the cumulative impact of Alcoa’s and the North Carolina Emergency Training Center (NCEMTC) at the Stanly County Airport. Then, the DWM staff shared insight into the RCRA renewal permit timeline and goals. They stated that no hazardous waste can be treated, stored, or disposed of at the Alcoa Badin Business Park under a RCRA permit which is a promising first step to, hopefully, a state-mandated cleanup of Alcoa’s hazardous waste. DEQ granted Alcoa Badin Business Park an extension to August to submit their permit application. Then, DWM will review the application, draft a permit, hold a 45-day public comment period and a public hearing, review the public comments, and issue a final permit. They estimated this process will take about a year. A separate permit modification is required to determine a cleanup approach or a final remedy after the RCRA Part B permit is issued.
There was an opportunity for Dr. Jennifer Richmond-Bryant from North Carolina State University and Dr. Nancy Lauer from the Duke ELPC to share important environmental research too. Dr. Richmond-Bryant presented on the air quality monitoring data she has acquired around West Badin and Albemarle that show increases in PM2.5 at some time frames that coincided with the demolition of Alocoa’s remaining building in Badin and the burning of jet fuel that occurs at the NCETC in Albemarle. Dr. Lauer shared the water quality monitoring data that YRK helped to collect around Badin that demonstrated elevated concentrations of cyanide and fluoride in Little Mountain Creek, specifically downstream from Alcoa’s landfills. There were also elevated levels of PFAS in the creek and low levels of PCBs found in some of the soil samples near reported dumping sites.
DWM set aside time to answer questions from the audience regrading the RCRA permitting process. Although there is still some uncertainty regarding the contents of the permit and the cleanup action required, YRK appreciates the effort DEQ is making to include the CCWB and partner organizations’ in the development of Alcoa’s RCRA permit. It was encouraging to see DWM responding to community concerns and intentionally including meaningful community involvement in the permitting process moving forward.