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25 <br />ATTACHMENT 4 <br />Orange County <br />Department of Environment, Agriculture, Parks & Recreation <br />MEMORANDUM <br />TO: Board of County Commissioners <br />Frank W. Clifton, Jr., County Manager <br />FROM: David Stancil, DEAPR Director <br />DATE: May 19, 2010 <br />RE: Summary of Discussions and Presentations re the UNC Bingham Facility <br />with the Commission for the Environment <br />On February 8, 2010 representatives from the citizen group Preserve Rural Orange <br />(PRO) addressed the Orange County Commission for the Environment (CFE). Ms. Laura <br />Streitfeld and her neighbors from PRO expressed their concerns over the design and <br />operation of UNC's Bingham Facility. They described problems that have occurred, <br />including multiple spills of treated wastewater, one or more of which reportedly reached <br />a tributary of Collins Creek. PRO remarked on the group's dissatisfaction with their <br />interactions with the University, although recent communications had improved. PRO <br />would like the County to help monitor this situation more closely and help find better <br />ways of protecting the land and community in Bingham Township. <br />Following the meeting, the CFE invited UNC representatives to provide information <br />about the Bingham Facility. UNC representatives welcomed that opportunity. <br />Attending the March 2010 CFE meeting were, Dwayne Pinkney, Special Assistant to the <br />UNC Chancellor for State and Local Relations, Linda Convissor and Susan Houston. <br />On March 8, Mr. Pinkney described the Bingham facility, its 30 -year history, a 2008 <br />expansion of the waste water treatment system, and a planned expansion of the <br />facility. He provided a fact sheet, organization chart, USDA inspection report, and UNC <br />responses to questions submitted by Preserve Rural Orange. He described recent <br />problems with the facility and actions by UNC Chancellor Thorp to address those <br />problems. Bob Lowman is in charge of the facility and Mr. Pinkney now handles <br />communications with neighboring property owners. <br />Pinkney reported on four leaks that occurred between November 2009 and February <br />2010, noting that all four incidents were reported to NC DENR in Raleigh. Pinkney said <br />both wastewater treatment systems have been shut down, and wastewater is being <br />hauled to an off -site OWASA facility. UNC has hired an engineering consultant (McKim <br />& Creed) to assess the situation and recommend how best to handle the facility's waste <br />products. Pinkney said UNC will decommission and remove the incinerator located on <br />the site. <br />