Raleigh New3s & Observer:

http://www.news-observer.com/nc_index.html
Saturday, September 18, 1999

'Awesome mess' for environment

By JAMES ELI SHIFFER, Staff Writer

Beyond its toll in human lives, misery and property damage, the flooding of Floyd has plunged Eastern North Carolina into an unprecedented environmental catastrophe.

Surging rivers are carrying a stew of sewage, urban runoff, farm chemicals, silt and debris. At least 10 swine-waste lagoons have flooded or burst. Countless wells and septic tanks have been inundated; officials said they also fear a monstrous outbreak of mosquitoes and mold once the waters recede.

On Friday, state environmental officials fanned out into the state's low country to assess the toll of record flooding in the Neuse, Cape Fear and Tar rivers. They also logged reports of wastewater problems from a chemical company, at least 20 local governments and more than 200 swine farmers.

"Farms are just being overwhelmed, wastewater treatment plants are being washed out and flooded," said Ernie Seneca, a spokesman for the state Division of Water Quality. "It's just an awesome mess."

All people with flooded wells in Eastern North Carolina have been ordered to boil their water to kill any disease-causing bacteria that might have seeped in, said Linda Sewall, director of the state Division of Environmental Health.

"Many wells are improperly constructed. If they're flooded, almost assuredly contaminated water is getting down in those wells, which means it's getting into the groundwater," Sewall said. "That could be a long-term problem."

Officials have asked businesses and residents in Eastern North Carolina to conserve water to protect besieged water systems and keep septic tanks from backing up into houses. Sewall said she's concerned about the mold that grows in soaked carpets and furniture, which can cause serious respiratory problems when people inhale the spores. Her agency also is drawing up a plan for massive spraying to control the expected horde of mosquitoes within the next few weeks.

The flat, swampy terrain of Eastern North Carolina can absorb the state's normally wet conditions, but like a sponge, it can hold only so much, said Doug Harned, a hydrologist with the U.S. Geological Survey. "If you have conditions where the ground is essentially saturated, the water only has one place to go -- and that's just to run off," he said. And the water has gone where it never has before. Rick Dove, the Neuse River Foundation's river keeper, was sobered by what he saw when he flew in an airplane above the Neuse River basin from Jones to Wayne County on Friday. Dove estimated that at least 20 lagoons were ruptured, overflowing or completely underwater, sending pink waste into the dark brown Neuse.

"Every hog farm I looked at was in some degree of trouble," he said. "In some cases, the floodwaters were so high that all you could see were the tops of the barns. You couldn't see any lagoons." He said the damage dwarfs previous hog waste spills, which made national headlines and prompted Gov. Jim Hunt to announce a plan to phase out swine lagoons. "The hog problem in my opinion is catastrophic," Dove said.

Seneca said he could not confirm Dove's estimates Friday. But 10 farms in Eastern North Carolina have already reported that their lagoons ruptured or overflowing from the rains, he said. One of them, the Batchelor Sow Farm in Rose Hill, breached Friday morning, "spilling millions of gallons of wastewater," he said.

Hog growers had worked to lower lagoon levels before the storm.

"No one could have anticipated the levels of rain that fell in such a short period of time," Deborah Johnson, president of the North Carolina Pork Council, said in a statement Friday. "Clearly we are concerned about these situations and will continue to work closely with the Division of Water Quality during this recovery period to protect the integrity of our environmental systems."

The flooding is also taking a toll on municipal water and wastewater systems. Untreated sewage spilled into streams and rivers in Cary, Smithfield, Hillsborough, Wake Forest, Zebulon, Kenly, Goldsboro, Jacksonville and many other towns. In Wayne County, a dam broke and completely washed out 200 feet of sewer line, Seneca said.

In Wilson, the flood disrupted both the drinking water and wastewater systems.

Just north of Wilmington, water blew out a 70-foot section of a railroad bed and flooded two old quarries used as lagoons for industrial wastewater from Occidental Chemical, a chromium chemicals factory.

An unknown amount of the wastewater washed into the Northeast Cape Fear River. Occidental plant manager Gene Renzaglia said tests of the river water so far show no serious damage.

"We'll work with the state, because we obviously have a water-level issue here," Renzaglia said.

State officials said they expect many more reports of wastewater problems. Fortunately, the vast quantity of contaminants going into the rivers is being diluted by the even more enormous volume of rainwater, Harned said. But he said the rivers will become starved of oxygen from the pollution and by the huge dose of stagnant swamp water flushed into them.

The damage to coastal rivers could last for years, as pollutants settle out in the shallow and brackish estuaries. And most expect the problems to mount, as the rivers rise beyond what anyone has seen before.

Dove wondered whether seven years of environmental advocacy for the troubled Neuse River had been washed away: "What I saw today, the only word I can think of to truly describe it, is ugly."

-- Old Git (anon@spamproblems.com), September 19, 1999

Answers

"Oh, there's plenty of land - we can breed and breed and breed -- no problem. We could feed twice, five, ten times as many people as the present 6,000,000,000 -- no problem" is the mantra of of all the religious cranks (anti-birth control and anti-abortion) and all the businesses who are forever pumping for "expanded markets."

Pure stupidity -- institutionalized.

-- A (A@AisA.com), September 19, 1999.

The pigs have come home to roost! Finally they are getting even with the humans who have exploited them for many centuries! The swine eaters are getting back some of their own medicine!

-- bbb (bbb@bbb.com), September 19, 1999.

By coincidence we were watching a program last night on flooding in the USA during the '90's.In most cases damage was estimated in millions of dollars.Interestingly there was no mention of recovery times or long term damage to the environment.Agricultural pollution is not something that springs to mind so I guess we had all better check on the proximation of hog farms etc as well as chemical plants.

Incidentally a tip to halt mould growth until it can be treated from the world of museum conservation. Wrap the article in plastic & place immediately in the freezer.Prints & documents can be treated by washing in a dilute solution of bleach..but check a small corner first to make sure the ink or paint isn't water soluble and the bleach solution isn't too strong..Just the document swish gently too & fro.It is advisable in most cases to support the paper on a stiff mesh..such as mosequito netting during handling.Afterwards wash in clean water to remove the residual bleach.Air dry.

-- Chris (griffen@globalnet.co.uk), September 19, 1999.

"A", Religion and pro-lifers are to blame for this natural disaster? Ouch.....you and I are sure on different wavelengths. Remind me to blast the anti-abortionists after the next earthquake.

-- mike (blechhhh@aol.com), September 19, 1999.

"Swine-Waste Lagoon"... now doesn't that have a nice vacation sound to it?

Were any of these North Carolina places on Jim Lord's Navy list?

-- Linda (lwmb@psln.com), September 19, 1999.

Swine getting their payback? Those swine have all drowned. You think they climb up into the trees or something? The death of livestock and pets alone will be in the millions. You can sure tell by reading the comments as to who has been in a disaster situation in their life and who hasn't. Most haven't any more clue than the DGIs on Y2K.

Taz

-- Taz (Tassie@aol.com), September 19, 1999.

mike, I dont think that was what A meant at all. I think he meant that pro-lifers, in their zeal to save unborn babies, have shown little concern for what is happening to the earth as a result of overpopulation, and very little concern for unwanted children either. And the Christian religion has been much more concerned with personal salvation and making converts, than the long term effects of pollution on the planet. But that is changing as many pastors and many of their flock are now seeing that they have been very poor stewards of God's great gift.

Concerning the long term effects of flooding. My state had terrible flooding a few years ago, and much of the flooded land was ruined forever. But that's what happens when rivers are covered with dams and levies and the courses altered. And the factory hog farmer's in NC? Wasn't it Murphy, a politician and owner of the mega Murphy hog farms that got all the legislation passed to lower restrictions on laws concerning pollution. I recall that one of the papers in NC won the John Oaks award for the environmental expose' of his drity, self-serving tricks.

Pigs revenge, I guess! Those poor creatures are confined in spaces hardly big enough to turn around, pumped full of antibiotics, steroids, growth hormones and other chemicals, then shipped miles to be slaughtered in the most inhumane conditions, so that fat Americans, can have fat, cheap meat. Corporate farms, who also control most of the feed and grain companies, also do a fine job of running the small farmers out of business. And we, the taxpayers, are left to clean up the messes and pay for their greed.

-- gilda (jess@listbot.com), September 19, 1999.

Yes, as Taz says, "Those swine have all drowned," futher adding to the pollution with thousands of rotting bodies. . The dead hogs, and all the pollution of water supplies and rivers, is the revenge which has come back to haunt us, caused by the greedy, short-sightedness of agri business and factory farms, raising livestock in such polluting, unnatural conditions.

-- gilda (jess@listbot.com), September 19, 1999.

Small-scale responsible husbandry of livestock does not result in gross contmination of large areas or water sources. Only large-scale coroporate ag structure livestock farming results in the mess now aparrent in NC. The greed of the coroporations, and the desire of the consumers for cheap food at any cost has created this disaster. It is well deserved. And of course, the corporations will not be paying the costs of the cleanup and contamination;it was an "Act of God" of course- how could they expect this?

Small scale hog raising, chicken, beef, etc does not require "lagoons" for waste nor result in disasters of this magnitude. Of course this means that we wouldn't have such an "efficient" agriculture- and food would cost more- depriving the consumer of the money they currently use to purchase such necessities as CD's, Utility Vehicles, fast food, lottery tickets and beer.....

and horror of horror- if the consumer tasted meat raised small scale, or eggs from free-range chickens- he might never again want to eat such crap as fed to him in the supermarkets.....

-- farmer (hillsidefarm@drbs.net), September 19, 1999.

Aaacccckkkkkk! There's that Nightmare Word again: Back-Up.
Seems to crap up in each disaster.

Very serious problem. Take note. January is cold & wet and sewage backup tends to spur evacuation.

Our prayers go out to Eastern North Carolina.

-- Ashton & Leska in Cascadia (allaha@earthlink.net), September 19, 1999.

Some places are just not good, for large-scale human habitation. I think the southeast coast of the U.S. is one of the most beautiful places on the planet, but I wouldn't live there, on a bet, with someone else bankrolling me. Hurricanes are a very real, well documented phenomena, that happen with depressing frequency. If it were up to me, everything from North Carolina to the tip of Florida, on the Atlantic Coast would be just one gigantic nature preserve.

The same is true of people on the big faults on the West Coast. Just leave it all to the birds and bees.

Which brings me round to A's statements. Wonder of wonders, I actually agree with A, on this issue. The more people you have, the more necessary it becomes to have human habitation in area's that are not people friendly. You either voluntarily cut your numbers down, or else Mutha' Nature does it for you.

Churches and big business corporations are the biggest obstacles to gently and quietly reducing the population. Churches want more little Christians, Moslems, etc., and corporations want more little consumers (Remember, the youth market is the most lucrative. Gotta have a steady supply of new youth).

-- Bokonon (bok0non@my-Deja.com), September 19, 1999.

Bokonon, the United Nations agrees with you about the Nature Preserves.

-- Ashton & Leska in Cascadia (allaha@earthlink.net), September 19, 1999.

The United Nations can go jump in a swine-waste lagoon.

-- Randolph (dinosaur@williams-net.com), September 19, 1999.

Exactly Bokonon.. Converts and Consumers is what keeps churches and corporations thriving. Both need a constant supply of new people, and the environment be damned.

-- gilda (jess@listbot.com), September 19, 1999.

Er, this probably comes under the catagory of "DUH", but I don't understand how you "flood a well". Having just put in a new well on top of a hill, I hope I am way too high for that to happen.

I pray that all in NC will settle down soon. I certainly agree with others above that small farms and "home grown" livestock taste and are much better for us. That's why I'm in the country trying to do my part for the neighbors!

I lived through floods in Mississippi and know that they leave a path of unrepaired destruction in their wake. God bless all that are in this situation now!

-- dr. ben (benalurker@usa.net), September 19, 1999.

Thanks Old Git.

Speechless with the repercussions of the whole mess. Think of all those poor people and animals! My most compassionate thoughts are with them all.

*Very Big Sigh*

Another example of... the "unexpected" happening. (When you least expect it.)

Y2K lessons to learn.

Diane

(Time for a long walk, a latte, and acknowledging feeling of gratitude that the California ground I walk upon is solid... for the moment).

-- Diane J. Squire (sacredspaces@yahoo.com), September 19, 1999.

Dr. Ben, the rain was mainly in the plain--the coastal plain. If your neighborhood is, say, 11' above sea level (as we were in Norfolk, VA) and you have 27' of water over flood stage, then you have 16' of water in the street and it's going to contaminate every well around. There are lots of wells in the coastal plan because the water table is high and fresh water is--excuse me--WAS plentiful. I heard a report that a chromium plant in Wilmington is adding to the mess--your classic heavy metal.

Gilda, you're talking about "Murphy Family Farms." Sounds right homey, don't it? In fact it's a megacorporation and there have been lots of scandalous reports about their operations--and others. Shenanigans became so blatant that the NC Legislature actually put a moratorium on new hog farms. The irony of it is that much of the pork goes overseas, to Asia. However, since the Asian financial crisis exports have dropped and the pork producers have been whining and complaining and demanding compensation.

If you go to the link for the News & Observer, you'll find a search feature and all you have to do is plug in "lagoon" or "hog" and see what comes up. VERY interesting stories. Everyone should read them because now that NC has started to clamp down on hog farming, the producers are looking for greener pastures, so to speak. Coming to a pasture near you soon! BTW, "lagoons" of hog waste--the effluence is actually sprayed on surrounding fields to get rid of it. Ha! As if you can get rid of that much pig crap! Next rain just washes it into the creeks anyway. And the stink! Aaaaargh! You think paper mills smell putrid! Thank God we don't live near enough to smell that crap!

-- Old Git (anon@spamproblems.com), September 19, 1999.

Hey,

Watch what you say about papermills smelling.LOL

That "smell" makes my pulses race.

Ps.Did you know we keep a hog in the mill.No kidding!Its in the bottom of the vat keeping the pulp agitated.And you want to see the ass ..it isn't a small one like one of Taz's

-- a papermaking (griffen@globalnet.co.uk), September 19, 1999.

"Oh, there's plenty of land - we can breed and breed and breed -- no problem. We could feed twice, five, ten times as many people as the present 6,000,000,000 -- no problem" is the mantra of of all the religious cranks (anti-birth control and anti-abortion) and all the businesses who are forever pumping for "expanded markets."

Never heard this mantra before. Can you please give a citation? Or is this just a little fib you decided to make up as a straw man?

-- Spanky (spamme@no.more), September 19, 1999.

Chris, your paper operation is to a paper mill as Taz's raising Jake is to Murphy's Family Farms! Don't mills produce dioxons? Can't remember.

No, didn't know you had a pig in your pulp! And let's not talk about big butts, okay?!

-- Old Git (anon@spamproblems.com), September 19, 1999.

Old Git,

I'm wondering if there have been any reports of flooding at Seymour Johnson Air Force Base, in Goldsboro. From my time spent there I know that the Neuse River runs along the westerly end of the runway. It's also kinda close to the nuc... uhmmm, "special weapons" storage area.

Now the B-52's are long gone and most of the "special weapons" went with them But back in my time there, our F-4E's did have such a mission, we did practice using such weapons and there were a number of such devices stored on-base. I don't think things would be much different for the F-15E Strike Eagles now assigned to the base.

If there are worries about chemicals and metals in the waters of eastern NC, what kinda real worries would erupt if somehow a weapon was damaged and leaked something like a heavy hydrogen compound or even worse, a VERY heavy metal like U238 or Pu239.

I also wonder if the flooding might have rearranged the local area enough that the Air Force will have to conduct another search for "missing material" from a "special weapon" that was lost during a late 1960's B-52 crash. It supposedly sank to the bottom of a deep sewage settling pond at a sewage plant just across the river from the end of the base's runway.

Both items might be something to keep ears open for during the clean- up process.

WW

-- Wildweasel (vtmldm@epix.net), September 19, 1999.

Mike and Spanky: Are you idiots or just ignorant? You know damn well what my point was -- as evidenced by your inane comments.

People gotta live somewhere; and the more there are, the more have to live in undesirable and/or risky areas.
Envinroment "no problem" mantra -- ever hear Rush Limbaugh, Michael Medved, Catholic church, Mormons, "la raza"?

Either the human race limits its population voluntarily, or a super government or "mother nature" (REALITY) will.

F* you both.

-- A (A@AisA.com), September 19, 1999.

Wildweasel, found this littel snippet at the WRAL site:

In Wayne County, all you can see from the air is water. East of Goldsboro, the best way to get around is by boat. Inside the city, Route 70 is again blocked by flood waters. Auto World is more like water world. A mobile home park looks like a marina. It's cut off from main roads. A curfew is in effect for the entire county until next Saturday. The river is expected to crest on Wednesday at 15 feet above flood stage.

-- Old Git (anon@spamproblems.com), September 19, 1999.

WW, also a long article about Goldsboro in the N&O:

http://www.news-observer.com/daily/1999/09/19/nc05.html

Could find no mention of Seymour Johnson per se.

-- Old Git (anon@spamproblems.com), September 19, 1999.

Mike and Spanky, Here are a couple of sites you should check out before you dimiss A's post due to his socially incorrect rhetoric. Sorry I can't make links, but the addresses are short. http://www.igc.apc.org/desip/

http://dieoff.org/page55.htm

-- gilda (jess@listbot.com), September 20, 1999.