GastonCounty
2003 Environmental Report Card
Created for the Gaston CountyQuality of Natural Resources Commission (QNRC) by:
Christy Perrin and Jason Jolley, Dept. of Agricultural and Resource Economics,
NC StateUniversity
Greg Jennings, Dept. of Biological and Agricultural Engineering, NC StateUniversity
David Fogarty and Craven Hudson, GastonCounty Cooperative Extension Service
A Letter to the Citizens of GastonCounty
July, 2003
The Gaston County Quality of Natural Resources Commission (QNRC) consists of approximately 35 GastonCounty citizens who are appointed by the Gaston County Board of Commissioners. Members represent a cross-section of the County’s townships, municipalities, professions, and interest groups. QNRC’s primary responsibilities are: 1) to advise the Board on the status of the County’s environment 2) to make recommendations to the Board regarding environmental issues in the County and 3) to educate and involve the community in maintaining the County’s quality of natural resources.
QNRC’s Gaston County Environmental Report Card serves to address all three of these responsibilities. It provides elected officials and the general public with an overview of the current condition of our environment, while also laying out goals for maintaining and improving our environment.
Environmental quality is important to GastonCounty residents. We want the water in our streams and lakes to be clean so that we can swim and fish. We want water from our kitchen faucets to be healthy to drink. On summer evenings we want our air to be clear so that we may better enjoy a family outing. Most of all, we want to be sure that we leave behind a place for our children, and our children’s children, to enjoy the bounty of our natural surroundings. We also recognize the importance of a healthy economy that brings investments and jobs while maintaining the natural environment that we treasure.
Our hope is that this report card will help us all understand the resources with which we have been blessed. It will also serve as a guide to measure our progress in preserving these resources.
-The Quality of Natural Resources Commission
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Bill Beasley
Flip Bombardier
Sam Calouche
Joe Carpenter
Jason Conrad
Bill Craig
Samantha Dye
David Freeman
Billy Glover
Steve Hall
Anne Hanna
Mary Flock
Paul Kasmer
Bob Koehler
Joel Lineberger
Alan May
Les McLean
Suzanne McLean
Mike McLeod
Gary Mims (Chair)
Wade Morton
Martin Murphy
Bill Nail
Susan Neeley
Jim Parks
Oscar Penegar
Larry Penley
Jonathan Pitman
Mike Prachar
Haywood Rankin
Sheila Reagan
Suzanne Riley
Darlene Ritter
Dr. Don Rhodes
Shawn Smith
Michael Stanforth
Jack Stevenson
Ann Tippitt
Dr. Steven Tracy
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Table of Contents
Table of Contents......
Figures......
Tables......
What Factors Drive the Quality of Our Natural Resources?......
The Environmental Indicators......
Water Quality Indicators......
Air Quality Indicator......
Land Use Indicators......
Solid Waste Indicators......
Biodiversity Indicator......
Corporate Responsibility Indicator......
APPENDIX A: Summary of Indicators, Goal, and Recommendations......
Figures
Figure 1: Population Trend for Gaston County from 1920-2030……...6
Figure 2: Means of Transportation to Work………………………………7
Figure 3Percentage of Population Commuting >30 minutes…………..8
Figure 4: Map of Supporting and Not Supporting Streams……………..12
Figure 5: Stream Use Support Ratings in Gastoncounty……………….13
Figure 6: Yearly Reported UST Releases in GastonCounty……………14
Figure 7: Leaking Underground Storage Tanks…………………………..15
Figure 8: Wastewater Spill Volumes and Frequencies…………………..16
Figure 9: Unhealthy Air Quality Days in Charlotte-Metro Area………18
Figure 10: Increase in Developed Land vs. Population Increase…………21
Figure 11: Land Developed for Each New Resident 1982-1997……………21
Figure 12:Household Hazardous Waste Disposal……………………………27
Figure 13:Illegal Dumping Citations in GastonCounty……………………28
Figure 14: Significant Natural Heritage Sites………………………………… 30
Tables
Table 1: Public Drinking Water Sources…………………………………..10
Table 2: The Color-coded Air Quality Index…………………………………18
Table 3: TopFiveLand Consuming Metro Areas in the U.S. ………………22
Table 4: Acreage in Farmland…………………………………………………….24
Table 5: Per Capita Waste Disposal……………………………………………25
Table 6: ISO 14001(Environmental Management Systems) Cert……….33
What Factors Drive the Quality of Our Natural Resources?
The environmental indicators chosen for this report card measure a cross-section of natural resources including water, air, biodiversity, and land. The indicators provide a snapshot of how our natural environment is responding to human activities. Four factors that influence the performance of the indicators are GastonCounty’s natural history, population growth, transportation infrastructure, and development.
Natural History: GastonCounty lies within the Southern Piedmont region of North Carolina. The landscape is gently rolling or hilly, although the central and western parts of the county contain several prominent ridges and smaller mountain ranges. The soils in the county tend to have a loamy surface with a predominantly clay subsurface, and are prone to erosion, particularly on steeper slopes.
Historic agricultural practices have impacted the erodible soils of the county and degraded water quality in the past. Farms today typically employ practices that are less harmful to topsoil and streams. However, as farmland is replaced by urban and suburban development, the interplay between construction and erodible soils, slopes and impervious surfaces, can spell additional trouble for natural resources if not checked in the future.
Population Growth: Population has a major impact on all the environmental indicators. The location and activities of people affect every aspect of the natural environment, including air, wildlife habitat, soil structure, and soil productivity. According to the 2000 U.S. Census, GastonCounty has a population of 190,365, an 8.7% increase from the county’s1990 population. By the year 2030, GastonCounty’s population is projected to increase to 228,066. Over this 30-year period the addition of nearly 40,000 new persons will place demands on GastonCounty’s services and resources. Population growth requires additional local, natural, and community resources and services.
Transportation: While a solid transportation system is a critical component of a healthy economy, the design of the county’s transportation infrastructure influences development patterns and human behavior. Natural resources are impacted accordingly. People’s chosen methods of getting around also reflect the convenience of the choices that they are provided.
The following table shows how many people in GastonCounty drive alone to work versus how many use public transit, carpool, bike or walk. GastonCounty has a higher percentage of people, 83.8%, who drive alone to work than does NC, 79.5%.
The time that people spend in their vehicles commuting to work has also increased, indicating increased congestion and longer distances between their residences and workplaces. See Figure 3 for a comparison of the GastonCounty residents who travel more than 30 minutes to get to work versus NC residents who travel the same distance.
Vehicle exhaust emissions contribute significantly to ground-level ozone and to global warming. Using public transit and other alternative transportation means to work besides driving reduces road congestion, reduces consumption of fossil fuels, and reduces the amount of pollutants emitted into the air. Thoughtfully designed transportation infrastructure and accompanying development can provide choices for people who prefer the convenience of living near work and/or using alternate transportation options.
Development Choices: Although a necessary part of a healthy economy, development is a major stressor on natural resources. During construction the soil, vegetation, and natural drainage patterns on a site are disturbed. After construction, buildings and pavement prevent rainwater flow from entering the groundwater table, and increased stormwater flows erode streambanks and carry pollutants into our streams and lakes.
Carefully planned and implemented development strategies can reduce these impacts on our natural resources. The 2002 Gaston County Comprehensive Plan recommends strategies that, if enacted, can limit the harm that can result from increased development. Strategies include locating development in areas of existing public infrastructure such as potable water, sewer, and roads, encouraging mixed use developments which locate residences near work places, and conserving open space which functions to cleanse our air and water and to provide wildlife habitat.
The Environmental Indicators
This section contains indicators that were chosen carefully to reflect the status of natural resources in GastonCounty. Some considerations that were taken when choosing the indicators include the validity of the indicator in measuring the quality sought to be measured, the availability of usable information on the indicator, the ease of understanding the indicator, and the ability to affect the measures through policy and action.
The six categories of indicators within the report include:
- Water Quality
- Air Quality
- Land Use
- Solid Waste
- Biodiversity
- Corporate Responsibility
For each of the categories, the section is arranged as follows:
1. Introduction to the category
- Description of each indicator including what it measures, and source of information
- The indicator, typically presented as a table or graph
- Box containing QNRC recommended goals and actions for each indicator to improve the quality of the natural resource
Water Quality Indicators
- Stream Use Support
- Underground Storage Tanks
- Wastewater Spill Volumes and Frequency
Introduction
Water quality refers to the ability of our water resources to support human, animal, and plant life. Good water quality is necessary for providing us with drinking water that is safe and clean; for providing habitat for aquatic bugs, plants, and animals; for providing recreational opportunities like wading, swimming, and fishing; and for providing a place for us to connect with nature.
Six watersheds drain all the water that falls in GastonCounty to either the Catawba River, or the South Fork of the Catawba River (a watershed includes the land that drains to a particular water body). Some of these watersheds supply drinking water to surface systems; rainfall in all the watersheds helps replenish groundwater. All the watersheds provide recreational opportunities and wildlife habitat. Everybody who lives and works in GastonCounty impacts water through their actions.
Residents from GastonCounty obtain their drinking water from either surface water, such as a lake, or from groundwater. Approximately 114,000 people draw their water from a municipal surface water supply system, while the remaining 76,000 people draw their water from a private or community well.
Each source is regulated differently, with the most regulatory control provided over surface water systems and community wells. Risks to groundwater include contamination pollutants that may seep through soil, such as those from leaking underground storage tanks. Risks to municipally supplied water include non-point source pollutants (for example, grease, sediment, pesticides, oils) that accumulate on land and are carried by storm water into public water supplies and hence increase costs of treatment and chemicals used in treating drinking water.
Health based violations occur when a contaminant exceeds a safety standard or when water is not treated properly. Although the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) requires health violations to be reported for surface water systems and community wells, the data is unwieldy and presents a challenge for quantifying violations in the county (See EPA Safe Drinking Water Information System: ). Better tracking of health violations locally would help the public to understand the risks associated with using different sources of water for drinking.
Water Quality Indicator: Fully Supporting Streams
About the Indicator
All surface waters in the state are assigned a classification appropriate to the best use of that water. The state rates waters according to how well they are supporting their intended uses, whether that use is for providing animal habitat or drinking water. The rating takes into account water quality measures, such as fish and aquatic insect habitat, monthly chemical samples, fish tissue analyses, monitoring data from other agencies, and information from natural resource staff and citizens. The following ratings are provided to waters:
Fully Supporting: waters meet designated use criteria
Partially Supporting: waters fail to meet designated use criteria at times, so are considered impaired
Not Supporting: waters frequently fail to meet designated use criteria, so are considered impaired
Not Rated: streams lacking data or having inconclusive data for rating
In GastonCounty, the State rates most streams as Class “C”, meaning that their intended uses include fishing and boating, agricultural uses, and wading. Swimming is not included as a use of Class “C” waters. MountainIslandLake, parts of the SouthForkRiver, and other waters that are located upstream of municipal drinking water intakes, are rated as “Water Supply Watersheds”. Since their intended use is drinking water, these areas must meet higher standards in order to be meeting their intended use.
Much work has been done to address point source discharges (pollution from a pipe source) in Catawba Creek and Crowders Creek. Removal of these discharges are expected to improve water quality even more in these creeks.
However, as rural land uses in GastonCounty give way to residential and commercial development, increased amounts of impervious surface (pavement and rooftops) will yield increased stormwater runoff. Stormwater runoff pollution is recognized by the EPA as the number one water quality problem in the United States. In the future, careful land use planning that emphasizes pollution prevention and minimization will be necessary to maintain current water quality and to prevent further degradation.
In 1994, 70.2% of rated waterbodies within GastonCounty were rated Fully Supporting. The percentage of Fully Supporting streams rose to 74.4% in 1999. However, Dallas Branch, Crowders Creek, Catawba Creek, and Mauney Creek were either listed as partially supporting or not supporting in 1999.
Figure 5: Water Quality Indicator- Fully Supporting Streams
Updated stream use support ratings will be published in the next Catawba River Basinwide Water Quality Plan due in 2004. Basinwide plans are available online at:
QNRC’s Goals and Recommended Actions
Water Quality Indicator: Leaking Underground Storage Tanks
About the Indicator
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regulates underground storage tanks (USTs) storing either petroleum or certain hazardous substances. Until the mid-1980’s, most USTs were made of bare steel, which will corrode over time and allow UST contents to leak into the environment (also called a release). Faulty installation or inadequate operating and maintenance procedures can also cause USTs to leak. The greatest potential hazard from a leaking UST is that petroleum or other hazardous substances can seep into the soil and contaminate groundwater. It can also present other health and environmental risks, including the potential for fire and explosion. Nearly all regulated USTs contain petroleum, and the sites include marketers who sell gasoline (such as service stations) and nonmarketers who use tanks for their own needs (such as local governments).
An open incidence of a leaking UST is one where a release has been reported to the state, whose Department of Environment and Natural Resources implements the EPA UST regulations. After a leak has been reported, the state requires the responsible parties to assess the site and clean it up. Depending on whether the leak has contaminated just the soil or also the groundwater, and whether it is affecting a drinking water source, specific clean up goals are set for each site. Leaking USTs that have contaminated groundwater have very strict clean up requirements. A leaking UST incident is closed after the clean-up goals have been met.
North Carolina has developed a hazard ranking system that prioritizes cleanup efforts based on health and environmental risks. Often the most health and cost effective fix is to add potentially affected groundwater users to public water supplies. The state still requires a clean up regimen to protect human health during the process.
The yearly report of releases shows how many incidences were opened each year in GastonCounty since the UST regulations were implemented. These peaked in the early 1990’s as the state’s new UST program prompted discovery of many older, leaking tanks.
GastonCounty has 187 open incidences of leaking USTs as of May 2003. Forty seven (47) of the open incidences are considered high risk (threat to human health).
So far, GastonCounty has 179 total closed incidences, with 41 of those having had soil and groundwater contamination. There are fewer bare steel tanks remaining in the County and reports of leaking USTs have decreased.
Figure 7: Water Quality Indicator- Leaking Underground Storage Tanks
Sources of information include Mr. Steve Bograd, UST Section Regional Supervisor, NCDENR Div. Of Waste Management- USTs. 919 N. Main St. Mooresville, NC28115; and EPA at
QNRC’s Goals and Recommended Actions
Water Quality Indicator: Wastewater Spill Volumes and Frequencies
About the Indicator
Municipal wastewater treatment plants play an essential role in protecting water quality throughout GastonCounty. Wastewater treatment plants allow for higher density residential development in their service areas. Higher density is one tool in the effort to curb sprawl development. Plants are also staffed by trained professionals and must meet state guidelines for operation and discharge to surface waters. Many homeowners on individual septic systems are unaware of potential management problems and only realize there is a problem when the system fails. Improperly functioning septic systems do impact water but measuring this part of the equation is practically impossible.