for Raleigh City Council Meeting on May 7
My name is Elizabeth Adams. I am the vice-chair of the Capital Group Sierra Club. I am here on behalf of our members to request that you appoint to the RDU Airport Authority Board, Nancy Pekarek. Please appoint a board member who has an understanding of the history of Umstead State Park which was built by the CCC and WPA to encourage recreational tourism to a nearby urban forest.
Raleigh City Council Members are aware of the historical and current development pressures on the park, and of the public interest in preserving our natural resources of clean air, water and soils contained within the undisturbed forest areas within RDU Airport and adjacent to Umstead State Park. A Global Forest Watch map of the tree cover loss in the vicinity of RDU Airport and Umstead State Park shows forest loss has accelerated between 2001 and 2018.
Tree Cover Loss (pink) in 2001
Tree Cover Loss (pink) in 2018
The RDU 2040 plan will result in additional loss of tree cover and increase impervious surface area on RDU Airport Authority Property. This will have real costs to taxpayers and to property owners in Raleigh who are impacted by downstream flooding. The loss of trees and development will also negatively impact our regional air quality. It will also reduce access and opportunity for urban recreational tourism.
Quarry operations will generate additional noise, water, seismic and air pollution and harm our wildlife and natural resources. How did this terrible plan come about?
Is RDU Airport Authority exempt from the
- City of Raleigh Tree Conservation Ordinance?
- What are the result of NPDES, Benthic Macroinvertebrate and BMP monitoring in the areas surrounding aggregate quarries in Raleigh? Is RDUAA and Wake Stone Corporation exempt from NPDES and BMP water quality rules?
- The City of Raleigh has made major investments in increasing the size of storm sewer infrastructure along Crabtree Creek. These stormwater improvements are funded by a monthly stormwater fee of $5 per 2,260 square feet of impervious surface for commercial customers. Is RDU Airport Authority exempt from paying monthly stormwater fees to help offset the costs of increasing stormwater discharges?
- A 2014 Parks Bond Referendum passed by voters in Raleigh allocated significant investments ($4M) in completing the Crabtree Creek West Trail. The trail completion date was delayed to 2021 in order to “work through the analysis of flood model study”. Will new flood modeling studies be required for the RDU 2040 Plan? Is RDUAA or Wake Stone Corporation exempt from doing flood modeling studies?
- There are 32 miles of off-road bicycle trails on 611 acres on the forested land that will be destroyed when this land is commercially developed under the RDU 2040 plan. The loss of these trails will be a significant harm to the enjoyment of cyclists, hikers, and runners, many live in the City of Raleigh and ride thru Umstead State Park to visit them. In 1996 North Carolina law made it possible for landowners to open their lands with less concern about liability in case of an accident or mishap. Landowners could allow the public on their property for educational and recreational reasons, when no fee is charged. The OddFellows Tract has been used for recreational purposes by the Boy Scouts and TORC for many, many years. NC enacted this law to encourage land owners to make their land publicly accessible for recreational purposes.
- Quarry truck traffic is unsafe for recreational users of the I-40 bridge at Old Reedy Creek Road, and over the single land bridge over Crabtree Creek. Old Reedy Creek Road is a major segment of the East Coast Greenway that goes from Maine to Florida. Is RDUAA and Wake Stone exempt from following bridge and road safety rules?
We ask you to intervene to protect Umstead State Park, Crabtree Creek, East Coast Greenway, off-road bicycle trails and the safety of all of the recreational users who use these facilities.
This is World Asthma Day. 10% of children have #asthma, which causes recurrent respiratory symptoms. 38% are uncontrolled, meaning they miss school, can’t exercise, & don’t sleep well Risk factors for developing asthma include inhaling asthma “triggers”: -Allergens -Tobacco smoke -Chemical irritants -Air Pollution (link: http://bit.ly/2vKygG1) bit.ly/2vKygG1
PM2.5 and NOx and other harmful air pollutants from diesel exhaust will increase due to the explosions, additional mining equipment and truck traffic needed for quarry operations.
I have observed Very High Air Quality Index of 126 at the Harrison Ave entrance to Umstead State Park, measured by a personal Plume Flow Sensor on April 21 at 1:02 pm, on an otherwise cool, breezy, low AQI Air Quality Day. The bright purple color denotes a very high AQI, and is found along the Harrison Avenue including the segment along the entrance to Wake Stone Corporation. Low-cost air quality monitors can help people see what their exposure is to invisible particulates (PM2.5) as well as to Volatile Organic Carbon (VOCs) and Nitrogen Oxides (NOx), and can help communities identify hot-spots and identify significant industrial sources (such as rock quarries) that contribute to air pollution.
https://plumelabs.com/en/flow/
Protection of the environment and reducing impact on Umstead State Park has been a significant interest of the RDU Airport Authority when making past decisions. However, the opportunity of the public to provide meaningful input for the RDU 2040 plan was woefully inadequate.
Local governments and the public need to have a say in regionally impactful decisions on airport property, especially when RDUAA’s decisions negatively impact the environment and the health and safety of residents in the vicinity of the airport.
The City of Raleigh must protect the land surrounding RDU Airport from environmental degradation and harm. Nancy Pekarek’s experience in communication and outreach will help bring together a wide-range of stakeholders including other board members, industry, and the public to identify the environmental impacts and risks, and minimize these impacts to protect Raleigh, and our region.
The City of Raleigh, Towns of Cary and Morrisville, and City of Durham and our counties must work together to demand full disclosure and mitigation of risks and harms and for future remediation and clean-up costs to be set-aside in advance as part of any lease agreement.
The Sierra Club recommends the RDUAA re-consider no-lease alternatives to using this land as a rock quarry such as the $6.4M offer by the Conservation Fund.
Pollution isn’t partisan, it impacts everyone, some more than others, with higher impact for those in close proximity to it, and for those who have no voice in the decision making process.
Thank you,
Liz Adams
