SCN EMAIL BLAST: February 1, 2022
Subject Line: StopChathamNorth – 2/1/22: Update WWTP, Tri-Party Council, Fearrington Preserve
Preview Text: SCN Updates: WWTP Updates, Tri-Party Council & more
StopChathamNorth (SCN)
To the Residents of Briar Chapel,
In this email you will find information about:
1. Updates on Briar Chapel WWTP Expansion and Odor Control Improvements
2. Updates from Tri-Party Council
3. First meeting of the Wastewater Study Commission
4. NCDEQ posting
5. Fearrington Preserve Update
Briar Chapel WWTP Expansion & Odor Control Improvements:
On January 24th, the BCCA sent residents an update of the Briar Chapel WWTP expansion and odor control improvements. The date for completion of the expansion of the BC WWTP has shifted from the end of February to mid-April due to delays in the delivery of equipment. The link below provides ONSWC’s latest update on the plant expansion and odor control improvements.
https://onswc.com/briar-chapel-update-january-20-2022/
Tri-Party Council:
The Tri-Party Council met on January 11th. The meeting notes are posted on the BCLife website. https://www.briarchapellife.com/page/44435~913318/welcome-to-briar-chapel-life
Several items of note:
· A statement from John McDonald (President, ONSWC) about his intentions, if he is approached, not to provide wastewater treatment service to Fearrington Preserve or any other development outside of Briar Chapel. He cited the strong opposition of Briar Chapel residents to the Briar Chapel WWTP taking in any wastewater from outside the current development. (We note that if Mr. McDonald sells the Briar Chapel Plant, a new owner may elect to do otherwise. However, all county and state regulatory requirements would still have to be met and the capacity of the WTTP would have to be further increased before wastewater from outside Briar Chapel could be treated.)
· The pump station for SD-East is not complete. The delay in schedule is caused by equipment that is late in being delivered and the installation of the force main under 15/501, requiring an erosion control permit from Chatham County. ONSWC is concerned about leaks with the gravity sewer at SD East and SD West. Newland has shared that this has been turned over to ONSWC and Newland has no responsibility. ONSWC disagrees with this statement. No firm date has been provided for completion.
Wastewater Study Commission (WW Study Commission):
The first WW Study Commission Meeting is scheduled for January 31st. Listed below are members of the Commission in alphabetical order and include several recognized residents from Briar Chapel.
The first meeting is dedicated to Orientation and Goal Setting which includes defining the problem(s) and hopes for the outcome. We will continue to provide updates to these meetings as they are available. These meetings are virtual and open to the public. To join the meeting you can use this link: https://www.chathamcountync.gov/Home/Components/Calendar/Event/35768/5018.
WW Study Commission Northeast Chatham Members
Lee Bowman, Victor D’Amato, Francis DiGiano, James Flood, David Higginbotham, Halford House, Perry James, David Moreau, Denise O’Gorman-Nowak, Scott Peck, Liz Rolison, Robert Paul Waldrop, and Jason Welch
NCDEQ Posting:
On January 12th, NCDEQ posted a WWTP Upset, Spill or Bypass 5-day reporting form for an incident that occurred on November 3rd-4th 2021. The spray irrigation system malfunctioned allowing 2,160 gallons of reclaimed water to be spilled (over irrigated) in the Heatherwood/Treywood Lane area.
https://edocs.deq.nc.gov/WaterResources/DocView.aspx?id=2103243&dbid=0&repo=WaterResources
This marks the first time we’ve seen this type of report for a spray irrigation issue from NCDEQ. We’re hopeful that this may indicate formalization of this process for handling spray irrigation issues which we will continue to track.
Fearrington Preserve:
We recently received confirmation Congruus will be submitting an application for development in 2022 for Fearrington Preserve (which may be renamed “Pokeberry Preserve”). Congruus is also working with at least two other developers with land contiguous to Fearrington Preserve and in one case Briar Chapel. We will continue to monitor this development and their plans for wastewater.
Documenting our Concerns
We are extremely thankful for the information shared with us by BC residents. To date, residents have reported over 500 complaints about spills, odor conditions, irrigation and other issues. When you have a complaint, please call ONSWC’s customer service number 877-511-2911 and press “1” for customer service. To make sure your complaint is documented, we ask that you also email your concern to us at STOPCHATHAMNORTH@gmail.com. We will make sure your complaint is documented and shared with all the appropriate parties (ONSWC, NCDEQ, BCCA/Kuester).
Fundraising
Total amount donated: $51,966.85 (507 families contributing)
Spent to date: $42,603.06 (Legal: $35,317.50, Engineering Expert: $6,142.00, Administrative: $1,143.56)
We are maintaining a full accounting of these funds and will return any unused funds to contributors taking into account the weighted average cost to contribution basis. Thank you again for contributing.
StopChathamNorth
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Mission Statement
StopChathamNorth is an incorporated non-profit 501(c)(4) social welfare association representing concerned homeowners within Briar Chapel. StopChathamNorth does NOT support a regional wastewater treatment plant within the residential community of Briar Chapel. We are aware of several new communities surrounding Briar Chapel that are planning to utilize our WWTP. We are opposed to all of these plans to expand Briar Chapel’s WWTP for uses outside of the Briar Chapel residential community. We also believe that the WWTP and ONSWC must be fully compliant with all governance and regulatory guidelines to ensure operations do not create a nuisance, unhealthy or hazardous conditions for Briar Chapel residents.
For more information: www.stopchathamnorth.com