Rural Development? Nearly 1,000 Homes Proposed Near Morrow Mill and Austin Quarter Roads: Here's What It Would Mean For Water Quality

Written By Anita Moore

On May 12, community members gathered at Bethlehem Presbyterian Church in Mebane (off of Highway 54) to discuss two proposed subdivisions that could bring 956 homes to rural Alamance County near Saxapahaw. Haw River Assembly joined local residents to raise critical concerns about groundwater safety and watershed impacts.

(Screenshot from Fox8 coverage of the May 12 meeting.)

The Proposal

Two separate projects are in early stages:

  • Morrow Mill Subdivision: 541 homes on 440 acres at 7941 Morrow Mill Road (Sasser Properties)

  • Hunter's Ridge: 415 homes on 371 acres on Austin Quarter Road (Alpha Real Estate Investments)

Both developments would have no access to municipal water. Instead, 956 homes would depend entirely on private wells or private community wells which would draw substantial amounts daily from the local aquifer. Community sources have determined these withdrawals would total approximately 382,400 gallons per day on an already stressed area, as we experience a now-extreme level drought.

Threat 1: PFAS and 1,4-Dioxane Contamination in Groundwater

We asked: Before approving high-volume well drilling at this scale, has Alamance County required testing for PFAS and 1,4-dioxane near the Austin Quarter Road landfill?

Threat 2: Stormwater Runoff and Flooding in the Haw River Watershed

Both developments will convert 811 acres of farmland into rooftops, driveways, and roads, dramatically increasing impervious surface and stormwater runoff.

We asked: Has there been a hydrological impact study as yet?

  • The parcels are in close proximity to Cane Creek and the Haw River, a drinking water source for downstream communities. The stormwater problem is straightforward: more pavement, more runoff, more pollution flowing into the river.

  • Alamance County has no enforceable rural stormwater ordinance requiring riparian buffers, retention ponds, or impervious surface caps. No stormwater modeling or downstream impact analysis is required before approval. The County also doesn’t have its own sediment and erosion control office.

  • Unmitigated runoff can destroy crops, erode topsoil, and damage farm infrastructure on adjacent agricultural land.

    We asked: Are any portions of these 800+ acres within FEMA-designated floodplains, and has that been formally reviewed?

    • Neither concept plan nor preliminary sketch has disclosed a floodplain delineation or FEMA review in publicly available planning records.

    • Building in or adjacent to floodplains without disclosure puts future residents at risk of uninsured flood losses.

    • Floodplain encroachment by upstream development is a leading cause of increased flood damage to downstream property owners who have no voice in the approval.

Threat 3: Consequences of No Zoning in Rural Alamance County

We asked: Why is Alamance County still approving 956-lot subdivisions through a checklist only, with no public hearing and no commissioner vote?

  • A UNC School of Government report identifies Alamance as one of only 21 NC counties out of 100 with no zoning.

  • Without zoning, subdivision proposals trigger no requirement to notify nearby property owners or hold public hearings.

  • The Planning Director approves based solely on a UDO checklist . There is no compatibility review, no citizen input.

  • Commissioners have had a draft zoning policy since August 2025 and have not yet voted on it.

What can be done? Will commissioners follow the lead of Other NC jurisdictions (like Chatham County, Apex and Durham have used for data center developments) which have used temporary moratoriums as a planning tool while studying development impacts?

  • A temporary pause is a standard legal planning tool, not a development ban.

  • Without a pause, developers can keep receiving administrative approvals while the community zoning debate continues, locking in density and water quality problems before protections exist.

Why This Matters

These aren't abstract concerns. They're about whether wells near the landfill will be contaminated, whether people downstream can safely drink the water, whether the aquifer can accommodate nearly 1,000 new homes, and whether the Haw River will continue to serve as a drinking water source for the region. Other voices at the meeting also expressed concerns about maintaining rural identity, preserving safety, and whether quality of life is possible for existing neighbors amongst this kind of development.

Approving nearly 1,000 homes dependent on private wells or even private community wells without groundwater testing and monitoring near an already-known PFAS-contaminated landfill is reckless. Approving massive stormwater increases into the Haw River watershed without any impact study is reckless.

Both proposals are moving forward simply through an administrative checklist. Commissioners say their hands are tied. No public hearing. No hydrological review. No assessment of cumulative impact. This leads community members to push for careful and considerate zoning ordinances to be added to Alamance County books, for good.

What You Can Do

Demand Groundwater Testing: Ask Alamance County to require PFAS and 1,4-dioxane testing near the Austin Quarter Road landfill before any high-volume well drilling is approved.

Demand a Hydrological Impact Study: Require modeling of these developments' effects on Cane Creek and the Haw River, including potential for flooding, stormwater runoff and downstream impacts.

Attend County Commissioners Meetings: Make your voice heard. Tell commissioners that drinking water safety comes before developer convenience. Ask for a temporary moratorium so we can learn more about the environmental impacts of this development.

Support Stormwater Protections: Push for enforceable stormwater ordinances with real riparian buffer and retention pond requirements.

For more information and community resources, visit the Saxapahaw Current.


Sources:


Anita Moore
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