CORRECTION: Due to a reporting error, the original version of this story mischaracterized the Bingham Facility’s previous citations, implying that the citations stemmed from the spilled wastewater. The Bingham Facility has not been cited for discharging animal waste or untreated water. Instead, the citations have been for secondary treated waste water.
An Orange County nonprofit has formally appealed the University’s plan to modify its animal research facility, citing concerns about the facility’s environmental record.
Preserve Rural Orange is appealing UNC’s effort to consolidate the facility’s wastewater treatment plant following the 2009 finding that some wastewater had leaked into Collins Creek.
County residents have in recent months expressed concern about the Bingham Facility and the University’s transparency in its plans for expansion.
In 2009, an unknown amount of wastewater spilled into Collins Creek, which connects to Jordan Lake, prompting a notice of violation from the N.C. Department of Environment and Natural Resources.
This caused neighbors to be fearful of possible problems with the facility’s infrastructure, said Laura Streitfeld, the chairwoman of the board of directors of Preserve Rural Orange.
The University has been conducting animal research at the site, which is located in Bingham Township, since 1972, said Robert Lowman, the associate vice chancellor for research.
The University’s plan for the animal research facility states that it will need to dispose of more than 3,000 gallons of wastewater per day.
There is a county ordinance that requires a wastewater treatment facility that disposes more than 3,000 gallons of wastewater a day to acquire a special use permit, said John Runkle, an environmental attorney for Preserve Rural Orange.
