We mapped them. Their answers (edited for brevity and clarity) are below. The strategy, she said, has three parts: First, the state is working to identify and alert residents with PFAS chemicals in their drinking water and a system of statewide reporting. Air pollution can harm people's health and damage the environment. His work is produced with financial support from 1Earth Fund, in partnership with Journalism Funding Partners, as part of an independent journalism fellowship program. For the Catawba River, this problem manifests as increases in runoff, sewageand water use. In addition, certain unusually sensitive individuals can experience breathing problems even at code yellow levels. On July 12, nearly every seat in the county auditorium meeting room was occupied by 6 p.m. for a commissioners meeting. The agency defines cumulative impacts as the total exposure to either chemical or nonchemical stressors that could impact health, quality of life or well-being in a late 2022 research planning document. Sustaining a healthy environment, regardless of the area, should be a top concern for everyone. As we struggle with the issue of equity, or rather inequity, in the areas of affordable housing, economic opportunitiesand healthy food for neighborhoods across our city, Charlotte must also prioritize resiliency and adaptation strategies for those most vulnerable to impacts of climate change. Environment & Planning Facilities must decrease those burdens or risk not receiving permits. Here are a few examples, traveling south to north. The North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality (NCDEQ) filed a lawsuit against Chemours in 2017but only in response to bad pressand last fall, the state attorney general filed another. The federal law also says a recipient of funds can be in violation by failing to take actions that protect those communities. Some people in North Carolina live with more pollution exposures than others. Mecklenburg is so close to build-out that what happens on some of these pieces of land with high conservation value isvery important. The institute offers articles and research on a variety of environmental topics. Emily Donovan understands how all-consuming the fight can be, and how overwhelming it can feel when taking a giant chemical company to task. PUBLISHED 11:29 AM ET Feb. 11, 2022 WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. All told, the fire department said it used more than 4.1 million gallons of water fighting the blaze that destroyed a fertilizer plant. After years living out of state, including a lengthy stint working for the EPA and then law school, she saw that the hog and poultry industries had spread across the rural county. Anyone with respiratory disease such as asthma or emphysema, and anyone with a heart condition such as coronary artery disease or congestive heart failure. Healthy Pregnancy 8 7 Nearly 1 in 10 infants born in 2017 were born prematurely or at low birth weight (NC DHHS) Learn more about EPA Region 4. Similar construction standards for high-density development are being applied universally everywhere. Air and water permits are legally binding agreements. Each year ruptures and clogs in the aging infrastructure send thousands of gallons of sewage into Catawba basin creeks (Please do not flush wet wipes). It is a regional issue, but it will directly impact Mecklenburg County. (Not global issues; or if you say a global issue, its local impact) pic.twitter.com/KeEJHc3wFj. About 18 percent of land in the city is considered vacant, and that number is shrinking as development roars ahead. The pair of Superfund sites on Oxfords Industry Drive include Cristex Drum, a former textile mill where chemicals used to dye nylon yarns contaminated groundwater and soil, as well as a former antenna manufacturer where sludge that was used to treat metal was dumped into an on-site lagoon causing groundwater and soil contamination. NC Air Awareness items are available forFREEto NC residents. But they dont affect permit decisions, they say. Less than 1,000 feet away are homes. For more information,email:air.awareness@ncdenr.govor call 919-707-8400 (ask for a N.C. Air Awareness team member). During the radiation treatment that followed, Kennedy, then 45, learned that the cancer had metastasized to his brain, newly classifying him as a stage 4 terminal patient with 6 to 12 months to live. Were not asking them to do anything but their job, she says. For years, he stored his RV nearby off Wilkinson Boulevard, under a common flight path for planes going in and out of Charlotte. The only time North Carolina regulators have explicit power to deny permits based on such a cumulative impact assessment is for solid waste facilities like landfills, a requirement of a 2007 state law. The format is the same, just more info! Charlotte-Mecklenburg BMP Design Manual July 1, 2010 . Anyone can experience health effects whether noticed or unnoticed at air pollution levels of code red or above. And three miles south lies Charlotte Douglas International Airport, which Airports Council International ranks fifth in the world in air traffic, with 1,400 incoming and outgoing flights per day as of 2021. We will keep you informed with the latest alerts and progress reports. You can stay updated with all events happening through the department on our website, publichealth.charlotte.edu. Thats too often the case, say people working to address the disproportionate exposure to hazards by these populations in the U.S. Nobody wants to have their family being disproportionately burdened with so much pollution and having to suffer the health consequences of industry choosing the path of least resistance, Amanda Strawderman, environmental justice manager for CleanAIRE NC, a nonprofit based in Mecklenburg County, said. Its like a real stale smell, Johnny Horne said. Were almost built out. But their combined potential risks are, for the most part, invisible to regulators and people living nearby. At the same time, these populations are less likely to be able to afford bottled water or the expensive filtration systems that effectively remove PFAS contamination from their water. Typically, the agency holds a public hearing for facilities that have a significant amount of public interest. February 28, 2023Bill McCoy, Katie Zager, Rachel Jackson-Gordon. White-Williamson chairs the cumulative impacts subcommittee of the Department of Environmental Qualitys Environmental Justice and Equity Advisory Board. Attorneys in Charlotte, North Carolina. In Sampson County, that analysis found a high proportion of Hispanic people live in the area immediately around the Enviva plant. It also can hurt trees and wildlife, cause haze that blocks scenic views, and contribute to water pollution and climate change. The institute offers articles and research on a variety of environmental topics. This is a long-term public health problem which isnt going away in the foreseeable future. He previously worked at the Wilmington StarNews. A spokeswoman for DEQ, however, says state statute only requires a full cumulative impact assessment for landfills, as part of a 2007 law. I will forever be kicking and screaming about precautionary principle, says Emily Sutton, Haw riverkeeper for the nonprofit Haw River Assembly, which has partnered with local scientists studying PFAS while focusing on its own advocacy and education efforts. Charlotte-Mecklenburg BMP Design Manual July 1, 2010 4.0.1 4.0 Structural Storm Water Controls . The assessment originally inspired the city to adopt a 50 by 50 goal to increase the tree coverage from 47% to 50%, but this goal was dropped and smaller, regional goals were adopted instead. Staff There are 86environmental organizations in the greater Charlottemetro area, including the cities of Charlotte, Concord, Gastonia, and Rock Hill within the states of South Carolina and North Carolina.Combined, these Charlotte metro environmental organizations employ 175 people, earn more than $31 million in revenue each year, and have assets of $156 million. PFAS have been linked to cancer and other health problems and can be harmful at extremely low doses. As one of the fastest growing cities in the country, Charlotte is already struggling to keep pace with its infrastructure needs made worse by climate-related weather eventsincluding stormwater management, transportation improvements and stress on the power grid. Prevention through protections like these are key. The goal, Guidry said, is to merge environmental health concern data with demographic information to identify communities suffering from cumulative impacts. Lathan never questioned the air quality there, he said. This is a stance that bothers many people working in and studying environmental justice across the state who argue DEQs mapping efforts often show granting a permit will worsen pollution in communities that are already struggling. The Chemours Company discharges waste into the Cape Fear River, polluting the water supply downstream. Growth. There are even pieces of land with very high conservationvalue in other counties that, if they are developed, will directly impact the drinking water for all 1 millionpeople in MecklenburgCounity. The News & Observers climate and environment reporting is produced with financial support from 1Earth Fund, in partnership with Journalism Funding Partners, as part of an independent journalism fellowship program. Tom Branch Falls in Deep Creek, Great Smokey Mountains EPA's work in North Carolina is managed from our Region 4 office in Atlanta. North Carolinas ALEC-influenced government is passing some of the worst policies in the country. Heres why, North Carolina tool maker adding 400 jobs in $130 million expansion, state says, Lake Norman mansion owner pleads guilty to swindling investors, feds say, Plane crashes on Lake Norman, authorities say. One way this is being done is by monitoring air quality in Historic West End. Even though her drinking water comes from the city, Jones worries about what is in it. Even with cleaner cars and other new technology, our air could get worse as our population grows, endangering our health and reducing our quality of life. If I were to say were losing 100,000 smartphone connections in Charlotte each year, you would see an uproar like no other! February 12, 2014. In an effort to maintain the tree canopy in Charlotte, the city offers financial incentives for commercial developers who keep trees instead of cutting them down. This is a place where Thomas Built has manufactured buses for more than a hundred years, where AkzoNobel makes wood coatings and where Kao Specialties Americas manufactures several chemicals including a concrete additive and toner binder. Air doesnt stand still, said Sharrone Robinson, a nearby resident and CleanAire NC volunteer. Clusters of permitted facilities emerge over years. When it rains an inch on a 1-acre parking lot, almost 30,000 gallons of water runoff. GenX, which DuPont began producing in 2009, is merely one of the many thousands of these forever chemicals that dont break down in the environment and, instead, can bioaccumulate in the bodies of humans and wildlife. Sometimes you can turn the faucet on and smell a smell coming from the water, she said. Public Safety Longest has concluded that a lack of financial resources at DEQ and fear of potential backlash from the General Assembly explains DEQs inaction in evaluating a full range of cumulative effects from pollution. But some environmental lawyers believe that authority already exists and the agency is simply unwilling to wield it. Four years later, with some 60 rounds of chemotherapy under his belt, hes still going strong. The State Board of Education is asking the General Assembly not to take away $37 million in funding from the districts. All 100 counties have a facility permitted to release pollutants into water. But also four years later, the Cape Fear River watershedwhich supplies drinking water for Kennedys family and around 350,000 other North Caroliniansremains contaminated with the perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) that DuPont, and its spin-off, Chemours, dumped into the river for more than four decades. Even on the fringes of urban areas, families live near multiple sites granted permission to emit regulated pollutants into the air and water. Transportation Analysis (TIMS), Articles Archives Transportation Analysis (TIMS), Articles Archives The language Wolanin used is standard in DEQ hearing officers reports. And air pollution, largely driven by the regions auto-dependent development patterns, remains a concern. In July 2018, Cape Fear River Watch, represented by the Southern Environmental Law Center (SELC), sued the NCDEQ to force Chemours to immediately stop polluting the Cape Fear River. Engagement helps grow the environment and create a personal relationship with it. Loss in biodiversity is a problem that overlaps with the climate crisis Read More Wetlands Are Part of the Climate Solution Conservationists have long emphasized the essential role of wetlands. To look at permits in isolation as if this is the only facility that is going to be impacting the community literally ignores all the impacts in that community that are already existing and the particularities of that community, Jasmine Washington, a Southern Environmental Law Center attorney, said. These broad powers and the Constitutional mandate clearly show intention that NC DEQ is the guardian of the public trust over our air and water resources, not the cartel operator for pollution passes. So if weve adapted, whats the need to be concerned? Technology controls the pace of growth, but unfortunately, Mother Nature goes at her own pace! Meritas Global Annual Meeting 2024 to be Held in Charlotte, NC; News April 27, 2023. DEQs water discharge permits, for example, must weigh whether a new discharge will cause pollution levels downstream to rise above state limits set to protect drinking water. Changes in climate will of course affect us all, but especially the elderly and those with lower socioeconomic status. As more people move to the area, pollution increasesand ecological services are strained. Its one of the only sources of fresh vegetables in the Southside neighborhood, which the U.S. Department of Agriculture officially designates a food desert. But he also wants to know if they have any negative impacts. Secure websites use HTTPS certificates. We will always be catching up. Some NC communities stuck with higher pollution exposure risks. A neighborhood around Robinsons home, between Brookshire Boulevard and Freedom Drive, has seven facilities permitted to pollute the air and four that pollute the water. The U.S. government has left Americans vulnerable to exposure to highly toxic PFAS chemicals in our water, food, air and soil. In the wake of the Climate Strike that took place in Charlotte and around the world on September 19th, the media areabuzz with the importance of environmental justice. While Charlotte is several hundred miles inland and doesnt have to contend with risingsea levels, yearly hurricanes, and coastal flooding, climate change is still the biggest environmental challenge to our city. The side effects of growth are a regional problem, one that crosses city, county and state lines. NC locations: Charlotte, Greensboro, Greenville, Raleigh. Anything those researchers find would need to be shared with the community, added Collins, who also co-chairs the board of the non-profit Southwest Renewal Foundation. This is the water we use for drinking, washing, flushingand industry. Where the Hornes first met more than five decades ago is now the yard of the recreation center. The new tools could help local residents and governments shape permitting and zoning decisions. Real-time updates and all local stories you want right in the palm of your hand. Sherri White-Williamson started to fully understand how different sources of pollution can interact when she returned home to Sampson County in 2019. DEQs standard approach to addressing cumulative pollution impacts in the vicinity of a facility applying for a new or revised environmental permit is evident across a number of recent permitting decisions. Our Mission Creating healthier indoor living and work spaces through inspection, assessment, diagnosis and medically-sound recommendations for solutions. The settlement resulted in a consent order that required Chemours to cease its discharges and add scrubbers to its smokestacks to prevent airborne PFAS pollution. In addition, our North Carolina facilities have undergone a full Environmental Justice review and assessment as part of the permitting process with NC DEQ, an Enviva spokesman said in an email. Check it out: Environmental global concerns During July there were 16 days where temperatures were at 90 degrees or above. If we stop designing our city with the goal of moving cars and instead design it for moving people as efficiently as possible, we would dramatically reduce our negative impacts on our air, our climate, our waterways, our forestsand our farmlands. One permit holder in Tank Town is Colonial Pipeline. Her brother, Grant, died at age 47 in late 2019, two years after being diagnosed with glioblastoma, an aggressive brain tumor. If it can do that to your roof, certainly theres a concern about breathing it., Data: The Charlotte Observer and The News & Observer analysis; EPA; NC DEQ; Mecklenburg, Forsyth and Bumcombe counties | Maps: OpenStreetMap; Google Earth, Video production by Sohail Al-Jamea of McClatchy | Data visualization by Susan Merriam of McClatchy | Development by David Newcomb of McClatchy. For the Sampson County project, the hearing officer concluded that disparities revealed by DEQs mapping exercise and the concerns expressed by advocates and residents werent enough. Chemical companies can create these compounds, without any regard for impacts to human health or the environment, and discharge them until proven guilty.. Just west of Wilmingtons Hanover County sits Brunswick County, which a 2019 Environmental Working Group study found to have by far the highest PFAS levels in its tap water out of the 44 places it analyzed across the country. The key issues for me are education, engagement from citizens, time, the ability people have to adapt and use of current data. The primary principal of environmental justice is to involve all groups, especially those historically marginalized, to make important decisions about the development and enforcement of environmental policy. But on a trip to Myrtle Beach in 2019, a worker was cleaning the roof of Lathans RV when he asked the pastor if he lived near an airport. Some environmental attorneys in North Carolina disagree with DEQs interpretation of permitting laws, arguing they give the agency much more power than its willing to exercise to consider the full scope of cumulative impacts. Some people in North Carolina live with more pollution exposures than others. More people generate more waste and increase the chances of clogs. States like Maryland and New Jersey have recently passed rules requiring their regulators to consider the surroundings when deciding whether to grant permission to pollute, but they are in the minority. The outcome is a critical step in preventing future PFAS pollution, but NCDEQ has had to fine the company for not complying with the order, and its past contamination, still lingering in the water, soil, and peoples bodies, remains unaddressed. But it works exactly the opposite way, she says. Speaking to DEQs Environmental Justice and Equity Advisory Board on May 4 about the upcoming review of general permits for hog, cattle and wet poultry operations, for instance, Hendrick said the advisory board should push the agency to incorporate cumulative impacts in its permit review. I dont know if it can ever be proven, Kennedy says, but Im pretty certain that the PFAS contamination is what led to my cancer.. We mapped them. Whos at risk? DEQ's Division of Environmental Assistance and Customer Service (DEACS) administers the grant to help local governments, non-profits and businesses reduce the amount of food waste . It can also run tests on tap water. New construction is mostly luxury infill. Funding for this project comes from Kozik Environmental Justice Reporting Grants funded by the National Press Foundation and the National Press Club Journalism Institute. Economy Each day, about 120 million gallons of water are withdrawn from the Catawba for municipal water. Environmental issues are disruptions in the usual function of ecosystems. And residents in some urban areas, Mecklenburg County included, live with higher risks than others across the nation of developing cancer from the air they breathe, EPA data shows. Will Hendrick, the NC Conservation Networks environmental justice director, frequently speaks at public hearings and before DEQ advisory committee meetings, urging the agency to do more to curb exposure to pollution. DEQs hands are bound by the laws that are adopted by the General Assembly. by Hanna Mitchell. The continued increased costs to local government will impact the growth of our local economy in the coming years. The only affordable housing we have is older housing throughout the city that happens to have more tree and natural spaces from older standards. Kayla Young is a Report for America corps member covering issues involving race, equity, and immigration for WFAE and La Noticia, an independent Spanish-language news organization based in Charlotte. By Adam Wagner and Gavin Off Updated May 27, 2023 8:00 AM This is "Tank Town." Located four miles north of. 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