This article was published in the 2009 Year in Review issue of The Daily Tar Heel.
A historically low-income, black community neighbored by the county landfill and suffering from a lack of resources continued to tell its story to government officials this year.
And finally, they got some answers — even from the White House.
The priorities of residents of the Rogers Road neighborhood were two-fold.
They hoped to address air and water quality contamination issues which they say are side effects of landfills, the first of which is unlined and was placed in their neighborhood in 1972 and the second of which is set to reach capacity in 2012.
They also protested extensively to ensure that no other county waste facilities ended up in their neighborhood.
Anywhere but here
The county spent two years and almost half a million dollars trying to find a site for a waste transfer station to move trash out of the county once the landfill closes.
Despite the protests, one of the final options was on Millhouse Road, near Rogers Road.
But Orange County Commissioners voted 6-1 Monday to pursue a contract for a temporary site in Durham instead, and supported an amendment to never consider the Millhouse Road site again.
“We didn’t expect that at all,” said Neil Kirschner, who lives almost across the street from the proposed site. “I didn’t expect them to even vote. I thought they were going to put us on hold and re-examine everything.”
The county likely will have to do some re-examining in the future, as the Durham option is estimated to only buy them three to five more years. But with the Millhouse Road site out of consideration, neighborhood residents can turn their attention to other issues.
Environmental concerns
The main complaint of residents: Some never know if their water is safe.
Most residents get water from wells, since town urban service boundaries for water and sewer stop just before the neighborhood.
A survey by the Gillings School of Global Public Health found evidence of fecal contamination and E. coli bacteria in the drinking water, although past tests funded by the county have shown no tainting.
Resident and activist Rev. Robert Campbell was invited to a forum last month with federal officials, including Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lisa Jackson, Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention director Thomas Frieden.
The meeting helped increase momentum for the neighborhood association, Campbell said.
“When we left, we left as partners, and partners have ability and resources,” Campbell said.
Residents sent an environmental racism complaint to the Environmental Protection Agency in January of last year, and the letter was answered Nov. 23 with a statement that the agency would move forward with an investigation.
Campbell said the main goal of the Rogers-Eubanks Neighborhood Association is to bring the water quality of the community up to standards set by the Clean Water Act.
“We’re full speed ahead,” he said.
Contact the City Editor at citydesk@unc.edu.
