Public meeting scheduled to discuss water quality, coal ash
Published 12:10 am Monday, June 29, 2015
The Rowan County Health Department will have a public meeting Tuesday to discuss well drilling and drinking water in relation to coal ash.
The meeting will be at 5 p.m. at the Rowan County Agricultural Center — 2727 Old Concord Road. State and local officials are scheduled to attend. Duke Energy is also scheduled to make a presentation.
At the conclusion of a series of presentations, a questions and answer session is scheduled.
Questions have swirled about the quality of water near Duke Energy’s Buck Steam Station. A total of 100 houses have been identified for testing as a result of the 2014 Coal Ash Management Act. All but one of the test results returned to date have declared water unsafe for consumption.
Even with the wells being declared unsafe to drink, multiple organizations, including Duke Energy, have said the water still meets federal drinking water standards.
The panel of specialists confirmed as attending Tuesday’s meeting are:
• Dr. Mina SheHee, the branch head of Occupational and Environmental Epidemiology
• Dr. Kenneth Rudo, an environmental toxicologist
• A water protection branch representative from the Division of Public Health
• Tad Helmstetler, the Rowan County environmental health supervisor
• A Duke Energy representative
• A regional representative from the Department of Environment and Natural Resources
The meeting is free and open to the public. Questions about the meeting should be directed to the Rowan County Environmental Health Department at 704-216-8525.