CHAPEL HILL -- State regulators want to know why UNC-Chapel Hill waited nearly two months to report a leak of treated animal waste that reached a creek feeding Jordan Lake.
The state Division of Water Quality sent a "letter of intent" to the university this week, part of a process that might lead to fines. The letter seeks more information about a leak in a 1.6 million-gallon pond holding treated wastewater at the Bingham Facility, also known as The Farm, west of Carrboro in rural Orange County.
The facility houses about 60 dogs used in medical research on the main campus. It is slated to get additional dogs and hogs, as well as new buildings, as part of a $27 million expansion.
Public records obtained by the citizens group Preserve Rural Orange show that university officials suspected the storage pond was leaking as early as Oct. 19 but did not contact the state until Dec.10.
"It is not known when the discharge began; however the University of North Carolina waited 53 days once suspecting a leak of the lagoon liner to report the discharge to the Division," wrote Jay Zimmerman, environmental program supervisor with the state Division of Water Quality.
The delay does not necessarily mean that UNC-CH acted inappropriately, Zimmerman said Friday.
Some agencies notify the state as soon as they suspect problems, only to have state officials race out and find nothing, he said. Others gather more information before notifying the division.
Thursday's letter gives the university 10 days to provide additional information. Fines could reach $25,000 per day of violation, but Zimmerman said that would be in extreme cases.
Mary Beth Koza, UNC-CH director of environment, health and safety, was out of the office Friday and could not be reached for comment. Previously, Koza has said the university would do what ever the state required.
The university has two wastewater treatment systems at the Bingham Facility that spray treated wastewater on fields. One disinfects domestic waste from bathrooms and kitchens and has a state permit.
The other system handles animal waste and was "deemed permitted," meaning the state considered the dogs and other animals occasionally housed there an agricultural use that did not require a permit.
The wastewater that reached Collins Creek came from the animal waste system. The leaked material was not tested but likely contained very low levels of nitrogen and fecal coliform, Zimmerman said. The leak is subject to a fine because it reached state waters, the creek, and not because it represented a major environmental threat, he said.
As part of its investigation, the state revoked the system's deemed permitted status on Monday.
UNC-CH now has two options: It can apply to modify the permit for the domestic system to also treat animal waste. This would require ensuring the system has adequate capacity and technology to treat the extra waste.
Or the university can repair the system and apply for a permit to operate the system it has been using for animal waste.
This would require fixing problems, such as the leak in the storage pond and other concerns the university has identified in its construction.
"They have some hoops to jump through," Zimmerman said.
