Updates on Chapel Hill’s Coal Ash Site

The Town of Chapel Hill’s Police Station property is located at 828 Martin Luther King Boulevard. Tens of thousands of tons of coal ash were dumped in a 4.5 acre area of the property in the 1960s and 1970s. Chapel Hill acquired the property in 1980. The town first reported the coal ash to the public in 2013.

Numerous tests of the groundwater and soil at the coal ash dump site have found high levels of dangerous pollutants, including arsenic, lead, and chromium. The Town’s 2021 health risk assessment found the current conditions pose unacceptable health risks.

The site also includes a steep, eroding slope of coal ash 40 feet high just above the public greenway along Bolin Creek. Contaminated groundwater and surface runoff flow to Bolin Creek. The floodplain of Bolin Creek runs along the base of the slope, as shown in the video below.

Coal ash covered by some amount of soil is shown in blue and yellow on the map below, and exposed coal ash is shown in pink and green. In response to testing advocated by Friends of Bolin Creek, 1,000 tons of eroded coal ash containing high levels of arsenic was removed to lined landfill storage from the areas shown in green in 2020.

The Town of Chapel Hill’s original proposed concept plan for the site was to build several hundred apartments—including lower-income units—along with a new municipal services center and a large parking garage, on top of the coal ash. Proposed housing is shown in blue below. Portions of the coal ash would be covered with a layer of dirt and held back by a retaining wall. As Friends of Bolin Creek has pointed out, dirt covers have repeatedly failed to prevent exposure to coal ash in residential areas and playgrounds, causing serious health concerns, and coal ash is an unstable material that can collapse without warning.

The Town and its consultants have performed numerous studies documenting pollution problems at the site, and the Town maintains a website for the property here. You should know the latest information:

September 15, 2022 - As reported in the Raleigh News & Observer, the Town is considering a new plan to build only a Municipal Services Center on the Police Department property, apparently dropping — for now — the controversial plan to build housing on the coal ash. The Town Manager states that the Town will look into developing affordable housing at another location. This approach is confirmed in a September 13 memo later posted to the town’s website.

September 12, 2022 - Scientists from Duke University and Appalachian State University release a report finding that the coal ash at the Police Department property contains radioactive materials at levels two to four times higher than naturally occurring soils. The report also finds elevated pollutant levels 10 to 30 times higher than naturally occurring levels, and many pollutants exceed EPA toxicity guidelines, including arsenic, thallium, vanadium, antimony, selenium, and others. Based on the composition of the coal ash, the report concludes it likely came from UNC’s coal-fired power plant on West Cameron Avenue in Chapel Hill.

March 23, 2022 – In a letter to the Mayor and Council, Friends of Bolin Creek urges the Town to modify its proposed Memorandum of Understanding with the Town’s development partner. The letter asks the Town to pursue commercial redevelopment rather than residential because of the lesser risk, and calls on the Town to address the threats from coal ash exposure, structural failure, and flooding. The letter points out that the Town’s plan to construct housing on top of coal ash is unprecedented, that coal ash is unstable and structural failures have resulted in spills into nearby waterways at other sites, and that the example provided by the Town’s consultant of a successful project actually involved complete removal of the coal ash from residential areas. Here, the Town of Chapel Hill is proposing to leave the coal ash in place and build housing on top of it. The Town Council adopts the Memorandum of Understanding as originally proposed, without the requested changes.

Februrary 22, 2022 - In a letter, the Town’s consultant states that recalculating the health risk analysis (Oct. 7, 2021 report below) using the more-protective cancer risk standard of 1 in 100,000 identified one additional area on the site as presenting an unacceptable risk that requires remediation and using the most protective 1 in 1,000,000 standard identifies three additional areas on the site presenting an unacceptable risk that requires remediation.

Jan. 26, 2022 - The Town proposes a plan for redeveloping the coal ash site that includes up to 250 units of housing, and would leave coal ash and contaminated soil in place covered only with a layer of dirt. Dirt covering the coal ash at this site has eroded and exposed the ash in past; this has also occurred at other sites around our region.

October 13, 2021 - The Risk Assessment Report (link below) is presented to the Town Council. In response to questions raised by Friends of Bolin Creek and the Southern Environmental Law Center, Council members request recalculation of the risk analysis using more-protective cancer risk levels of 1 in 100,000 and 1 in 1,000,000.

October 7, 2021 - An Updated Risk Assessment Report finds current site conditions pose unacceptable health risks for residential use and construction workers. The analysis uses a cancer risk standard of 1 in 10,000, which is less protective than the Town’s previous 2019 risk assessment along the Greenway. No explanation is provided for the use of the less-protective standard.

April 17, 2021 - The Town reports it has removed 1,000 tons of coal ash from along the Bolin Creek greenway to lined storage at the Uhwarrie Environmental Landfill.

December 2, 2020 - The Town reports that based on additional drilling and monitoring well data, the Town’s previous estimate of the amount of coal ash (60,000 cubic yards) “is likely an overestimate and the actual amount is significantly lower.” The report contains no new estimate for the amount of coal ash. It also states that the ash is not in contact with the groundwater aquifer. Additional groundwater sampling continues to show contamination and additional soil samples continue to show elevated levels of arsenic, barium, manganese, and selenium (above both naturally-occurring levels and soil standards) in drainage pathways on the site.

October 17, 2019 - The Town’s consultant performs a preliminary Environmental Justice, Regulatory, and Community Sensitivity Evaluation for disposal of coal ash from the site and concludes that the Uwharrie Environmental Landfill in Mount Gilead and the Stokes County landfill in Roseboro best match the evaluation criteria.

October 1, 2019 - The state Department of Environmental Quality deems the Chapel Hill coal ash site eligible for its Brownfields program, which allows redevelopment of a contaminated site without a cleanup.

May 24, 2019 - In response to testing advocated by Friends of Bolin Creek — which revealed that coal ash and arsenic had been deposited along the Bolin Creek Greenway trail from the steep slope of coal ash above the trail — the town issues a risk analysis by the former State toxicologist prior to constructing a new connecting segment of the trail in the area where coal ash is present. The risk analysis finds unacceptable risk levels for recreational users of the trail and for construction workers. The report recommends removing the eroded coal ash and contaminated soil along the greenway prior to construction of the new trail segment, along with various other temporary measures. Soil testing shows elevated levels of arsenic and barium along the public greenway. Groundwater testing shows arsenic, barium, cobalt, selenium, and manganese above both state groundwater standards and naturally occurring levels at the site. Groundwater flows to the southeast, towards Bolin Creek. Samples from Bolin Creek show slightly elevated levels of manganese and copper in the downstream samples. The report also concludes that radon within the Police Department building is not a concern.

August 20, 2018 - The Town’s consultant prepares a “Remedial Alternatives Evaluation” that examines only two options: leaving all of the coal ash in place behind a retaining wall (other than removing eroded ash along the greenway), or completely excavating and removing all coal ash from the property. This evaluation fails to consider numerous other options—including those advocated by Friends of Bolin Creek—that do not require complete excavation, such as removing the eroding steep slope of coal ash above the creek and public greenway.

December 1, 2017 – In an update to the Town Council, the Town Manager states that over the next several months Chapel Hill will be evaluating remedial options, including the N.C. Brownfields Program. This program allows a property owner to avoid cleaning up the site to regulatory standards.

October 3, 2017 – N.C. DEQ requests that Chapel Hill develop a remedial action plan under an administrative agreement with the agency.

September 6, 2017 – After reviewing an updated map of the coal ash deposits along the greenway, Friends of Bolin Creek informs N.C. DEQ that even more of the ash is located in the floodplain of Bolin Creek than was previously recognized.

July 13, 2017 – N.C. DEQ informs Chapel Hill that its latest report incorrectly claims there is no coal ash south of the Bolin Creek trail.  DEQ points out that coal ash that has washed down from the dump site is located on both sides of the trail and that soil samples along the greenway found "elevated levels of arsenic" and other pollutants.

January 26, 2017 – Phase II Remedial Investigation Report completed. The report confirms there is a 40-foot high coal ash cliff eroding onto the Bolin Creek greenway, there is significant coal ash contamination of groundwater and soil at the site, and sampling shows the site is harming water quality in Bolin Creek. 

September 2016 – Several months after soil tests along the Bolin Creek Greenway reveal high levels of arsenic, chromium, and other coal ash pollutants, Chapel Hill installs warning signs along the Greenway stating that “contact with coal ash may present health risk.”

May 5, 2016 – DEQ's Division of Waste Management informs Chapel Hill that the state has determined that "there is a release, or substantial threat of a release into the environment of a hazardous substance from the Site and an area accessible to the public."  Chapel Hill must complete a "remedial investigation" that delineates the extent of the contamination.

April 1, 2016 – New testing reveals high levels of contaminants in the soil along the Bolin Creek greenway above the residential and groundwater protection soil standards: arsenic, barium, cobalt, manganese, selenium, thallium, and vanadium.  The report also shows continued high levels of groundwater contamination, including arsenic (over 6 times the limit), chromium (10 times the limit), lead (over twice the limit), barium (nearly twice the limit), manganese (192 times the limit), and selenium. 

February 11, 2016 – After Friends of Bolin Creek raised concerns about construction of a new section of greenway along the coal ash dump site, DEQ instructs the Town of Chapel Hill not to proceed with construction before further testing of contaminated soil, citing "suspected coal ash deposits" in the area where the construction and new greenway would be located. DEQ also informs the Town of Chapel Hill it must disclose all coal ash contamination to any prospective purchasers before it can sell or transfer the Police Station property. 

October 23, 2015 – N.C. Department of Environmental Quality directs the Town of Chapel Hill to test for more pollutants in the groundwater. It also instructs the town to map the site’s groundwater flow. N.C. DEQ expresses concern that coal ash may be eroding from a steep slope above the public greenway.

July 2015 – The Town of Chapel Hill re-samples new, deeper wells, but does not sample the older well. Results from the new wells contain measurable levels of barium and boron that are below legal limits.

May 2015 – The Town of Chapel Hill installs two deeper monitoring wells at new locations further east on the site. Later that month, it takes samples.  Results from these new wells and one existing well contain high levels of arsenic (11 times the limit), total chromium (46 times the limit), lead (nearly 6 times the limit), and barium. Later, the town’s report states the new wells had not yet stabilized.

October 3, 2014 – The Town of Chapel Hill submits unfiltered sampling results in response to N.C. DENR’s request. Results show high levels of arsenic (5 times the limit), hexavalent chromium (428 times the “Do Not Drink” health screening level), total chromium (nearly 8 times the limit), lead (twice the limit), and barium.

September 19, 2014 – N.C. Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) informs the Town of Chapel Hill its recent filtered sampling results were “not valid.” It also says the town’s statements about groundwater not being impacted are contradicted by the data. N.C. DENR requests additional unfiltered sampling results.

September 2, 2014 – In another round of sampling, the Town of Chapel Hill filters the groundwater before testing it and claims the results show the groundwater has not been contaminated.

March 2014 – Sampling of two new groundwater wells reveals high levels of arsenic (14 times the limit), total chromium (93 times the limit), lead (more than 16 times the limit), barium (more than 9 times the limit), selenium (nearly 5 times the limit), and mercury.

July 2013 – The Town of Chapel Hill hires an environmental consultant to test groundwater. Testing reveals high levels of arsenic (8.5 times the regulatory limit), barium, total chromium, cobalt, copper, iron, lead, manganese, thallium and zinc. 

What Should the Town Do?

The Town of Chapel Hill has not proposed any plan to safely deal with the eroding coal ash dump above the Bolin Creek greenway.

That’s not good enough! Chapel Hill needs to remove the eroding and exposed areas of coal ash and contaminated soil to safe, lined storage away from the public greenway and Bolin Creek. Please click here to email all the Chapel Hill Town Council members.

Recent News Coverage:

Tammy Grubb, Raleigh News & Observer: Chapel Hill has a coal ash problem, and a plan to move forward on part of its plan

Samuel Long, Daily Tar Heel: 'Could have very serious health repercussions': Coal ash poses problems for NC

Lisa Sorg, NC Policy Watch: Chapel Hill’s Coal Ash Problem

Madison Ward, Chapelboro: DEQ Considers Brownfields Program for Chapel Hill Police Station Property

Ian Walniuk, Daily Tar Heel: Coal ash sparks concern for potential Chapel Hill housing development

Editorial Board, Daily Tar Heel (scroll to p. 12): Chapel Hill’s affordable housing plan endangers low-income families

Maggie Brown, WRAL: Chapel Hill hopes to build affordable housing on top of toxic coal ash

Lisa Sorg, NC Policy Watch: Chapel Hill’s plan to build offices and housing atop a coal ash disposal site