Eva GeoRene Jones, Salisbury, NC
♦It would be great if you would let your readers in on the following information:
After hearing from a citizen that “there is a cancer cluster” in the vicinity of the Mall property, I sent the following question to all Commissioners and Co.Mgr.:
“After reviewing the Phase I & II ESA reports, I am unclear as to whether groundwater testing was conducted. Please confirm whether we tested for soil contamination only, or if tests were conducted for both soil and groundwater contamination. Thank you for your assistance.”
Mr Page (County Manager) responded: “”Eva, When conducting a Phase I report, a consultant checks with the NCDENR data base for any reported instances of groundwater contamination or spills, they contact adjoining property owners to determine the historical use of property (service stations or dry cleaners) and any exposure to liability, and they check records on the property for any underground storage tanks permitted by the State. None of these areas were discovered to have any problems or reason for concerns on purchasing the Mall property.
The Phase I report discovered the back-up generator and tank used by Belk’s, that was shutdown in 1999. The Phase II soil testing confirmed there was no contamination from the 50 gallon partial underground tank that served the
generator.
The two test wells on the property, were the result of a request from NCDENR to determine if an old cleaners and BP Station across Highway 70 had contaminants leaching under the road onto the Mall property. The test wells have detected no contaminated water as of this date.
The County has taken the necessary steps to determine liability on every purchase of real property during my tenure, and in recent memory of the staff.
Also, by submitting a Phase I report to a client, all consultants certify their findings and a pledge of credibility for their work.”
Respectfully,
Gary L. Page, Manager
