ACTION: Tell NCDEQ to Deny the Draft Clear Creek Wastewater Permit & Stop Additional Pollution of Local Waterways

The NC Department of Environmental Quality is accepting comments on the Draft Permit for the Clear Creek Wastewater Treatment Project (NPDES Permit NCO090247). We invite you to join our opposition to this draft permit. 

Strong wastewater infrastructure can effectively improve water quality, but unfortunately, the approach taken by Henderson County misses the mark. If DEQ issues this permit, it will result in construction of a new unnecessary wastewater treatment plant in a rural area of the county and a discharge into Clear Creek, which is already listed as impaired on the state’s 303(d) list of impaired streams. A new source of pollution is cause for concern, and issuing this permit would violate the Clean Water Act. 

Additionally, there is a more environmentally sound and reasonably cost-effective treatment option available — connecting to the existing sewer system operated by the City of Hendersonville — and the County has not accounted for the costs of operating and maintaining a new wastewater treatment plant for years to come.

But any action on sewer expansion would be irresponsible without a strong plan to address future development. The county is still contemplating its 2045 Comprehensive Plan, which will guide the future for growth and development in the county, and appropriate land use protections need to be implemented before facilitating unchecked development. 

We need you to tell NCDEQ to deny this permit. Take action below.