Saxapahaw Wastewater Treatment Plant Draft Permit: New Limits, Same Urgency
DEQ has issued a draft NPDES permit renewal for the Saxapahaw WWTP (permit NC0042528), discharging into the Haw River in Alamance County. We got involved after community members near the facility raised concerns about persistent odor issues. When we looked into it, our own sampling found E. coli levels that have maxed out our detection limits since February, in a stretch of river used for swimming, paddling, and fishing. The draft permit now includes fecal coliform limits that weren't in the current permit, along with new monitoring for dissolved oxygen and oil & grease. We'll be requesting a public hearing and submitting comments during the 30-day comment period to make sure these concerns are addressed and recreational users are protected. Thanks to the residents who spoke up and put this on our radar.
Our sampling at four points along this stretch of the Haw (upstream of the outfall, directly from the Saxapahaw WWTP pipe, where the effluent mixes with the river and fifty meters downstream of that mixing point) has repeatedly shown E. coli levels at the pipe exceeding the test's upper detection limit of 2,419.6 MPN since late January, with the most recent sample on July 16 still elevated at 1,553.1 MPN. (See table above.)