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14 <br />Prepared by: <br />Orange County Health Department <br />February 2010 <br />Rogers -Eubanks Area Survey Report <br />Well and Septic System Assessment <br />Orange County NC <br />Background <br />In June of 2009, Orange County was pursuing an application for Community Development Block <br />Grant funding from the State of North Carolina for sewer infrastructure improvements to the Rogers <br />Road neighborhood. The Orange County Health Department was asked to provide a statement of <br />need based on reports of widespread septic system failures in this area. Although there had been <br />multiple surveys in the past in this area regarding well water quality, there had been no survey of <br />septic system performance. The University of North Carolina (UNC) and the Rogers Eubanks <br />Neighborhood Association (RENA) had earlier conducted a collaborative investigation of water <br />quality, however those results were not available for consideration. A statement was submitted by <br />the Orange County Health Department; however it lacked important information that could only be <br />provided by conducting an on site survey of septic system performance and failure rates. <br />Staff met several times in 2009 with representatives of RENA, UNC student chapter of Engineers <br />without Borders, UNC Epidemiology Department, and others to explore the neighborhood's <br />concerns and to eventually plan a survey of wells and septic systems. In October of 2009, Minister <br />Robert Campbell submitted a request to the Orange County Health Director on behalf of RENA to <br />conduct a survey of the area to document well and septic system failures. In November the Board of <br />County Commissioners approved funding to pay for water sampling costs for the survey. Staff <br />subsequently received approval for reimbursement of the sampling costs to be paid by the state's <br />Bernard Allen Memorial Emergency Drinking Water Fund. <br />Geographical Description <br />The Rogers- Eubanks community is located in southeastern Orange County and borders the northern <br />boundaries of the towns of Chapel Hill and Carrboro. The area is primarily residential with a <br />mixture of rental homes and owner-occupied homes. The one non-residential property is a church. <br />The homes in the defined survey area are located along both sides of Rogers Rd, Purefoy Drive, <br />Rusch Rd, Leak Lane, and Sandburg Lane. An additional single property is accessed from Eubanks <br />Rd. The neighborhood is characterized as predominantly African American residents with 85% of <br />the survey respondents reporting an income level ranging from very low to moderate. <br />Page 2 of 11 <br />