NC0025445_APPROVAL_19911221

NPDES DOCUNENT SCANNIN& COVER SHEET
NPDES Permit:
NC0025445
Randleman WWTP
Document Type:
Permit Issuance
Wasteload Allocation
Authorization to Construct (AtC)
Permit Modification
Complete File - Historical
yam,
Approval
Speculative Limits
Instream Assessment (67b)
Environmental Assessment (EA)
Permit
History
Document Date:
December 12, 1991
Ting document ig pi-iazted on reatse paper - igazore a.ay
content on the revenge gide

RECORD OF DECISION
FINAL ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT STATEMENT
NMe.
RANDLEMAN LAKE
Guilford and Randolph Counties
1 Decision
On December 12, 1991, the North Carolina Environmental
Management Commission (EMC) approved the request by the Piedmont
Triad Regional Water Authority (PTRWA) to use the power of
eminent domain in purchasing land for Randleman Lake and to
divert up to 30 5 million gallons per day from the Deep River
Basin to the Haw River and Yadkin River Basins in con unction
with the use of the water supply storage in Randleman Lake In
making this decision on Randleman Lake, the EMC considered the
Public Hearing Record, a Review Document under G S. 162A-7 and
153A-285, the Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS), and
public and agency comments on the FEIS.
2 Alternatives and their Relative Environmental Impacts
The FEIS evaluated the following alternatives
Randleman Lake
Upper Deep River Lake
Altamahaw Lake
BenaDa Lake/Polecat Creek
Ground Water
No Action
Two of the six alternatives were re]ected because they did not
appear to be acceptable. The Ground Water alternative would have
involved the construction of 480 to 670 wells, a complex piping
system, and strict land use controls on 165 to 200 square miles
of land The No Action alternative would have resulted in a
water supply deficit by about the years 2000-2005 The potential
environmental impacts of the other four alternatives were
evaluated and compared 1n the FEIS. As shown in Table 2 on page
17 of the FEIS, Randleman Lake would create the fewest
environmental impacts The Bena7a Lake/Polecat Creek Lake would
create slightly higher impacts than Randleman, and the Upper Deep
River Lake and Altamahaw Lake alternatives would create the
largest environmental impacts

I N
3. Discussion of the Appropriateness of the Chosen Alternative
The Piedmont Triad Regional Water Authority (PTRWA) is
made up of Greensboro, High Point, Archdale, Jamestown,
Randleman, and Randolph County. The member local governments
formed PTRWA to provide a future regional water supply source
Under the agreement establishing PTRWA, the member governments
have agreed to share their existing water supplies among
themselves until a new water supply source can be completed. The
formation of PTRWA, the agreement to share water sources, and the
joint commitment to develop a new regional water source have
provided a sound foundation for meeting the future water needs of
the Triad region
The PTRWA has conducted two e-tensive studies to
evaluate alternative water supply sources. The first study,
completed by the CH2M Hill engineering firm in 1985, studied 40
alternative sources. Based primarily on cost, the adequacy of
yield, and the feasibility of implementation, this report
recommended the Randleman Lake project, which had been planned by
the Corps of Engineers, as the best water supply source In
1991, PTRWA had another study of alternative sources conducted by
the Black and Veatch engineering firm. The criteria used in this
study were reliability (including safe yield and watershed
protection), implementability, environmental impacts, and cost
This study also recommended Randleman Lake as the best regional
water source
Randleman Lake is in a good location to serve as a
regional water source. Because of the configuration of
Greensboro's existing water sources and its water distribution
lines, that city needs a new source of water located to the
south. Randleman Lake is also appropriately located to supply
the Town of Randleman and the presently unincorporated northern
area of Randolph County
Because of concerns that the water in Randleman Lake
would not meet drinking water standards, the PTRWA had an
extensive water quality study conducted All potential sources
of pollutants were inventoried and then future discharges of
pollutants were projected A model of the lake was developed
that assumed that all pollutants discharged into the lake would
remain dissolved or suspended in the water Based on this very
conservative model, the untreated water in the lake is projected
to meet all standards for finished drinking water except
aluminum, copper, and iron. These three metals will either
settle out in the lake or be removed in the water treatment plant
and will not be a problem in the finished water supply The
water quality study also predicted the level of nutrient
enrichment (eutrophication) in Randleman Lake While some
over -enrichment is projected in the Upper Deep River area near
High Point's Eastside wastewater treatment plant, the lake as a
whole is predicted to be less eutrophic than many other water
supply impoundments in the Piedmont area of North Carolina
-2-

The lake water quality model also included inputs of
pollutants from the Seaboard Chemical site and the High Point
Landfill, both of which would lie adjacent to the Upper Deep
River area of Randleman Lake. The Division of Solid Waste
Management has indicated that certain specific pollutants in the
landfill were omitted from the model but that the quantity of
these pollutants was not going to be available until after the
City of High Point completes an intensive monitoring study of the
landfill in about 12 months Based on the results of that study,
the Division of Solid Waste Management will require the City of
High Point to develop a closure plan for the landfill to prevent
the escape of significant amounts of pollutants from the site
Provisions of this plan may include covering the landfill with an
impervious cover, constructing a slurry wall to stop the flow of
leachate, and pumping and treating leachate from the landfill
Because Randleman Lake is not planned to be constructed until the
year 2000, there is adequate time to carry out these corrective
measures The same rationale applies to the much smaller
Seaboard Chemical site, which is now being cleaned up by 10 of
its largest contributors.
4 Certification of Avoiding_& Minimizing Environmental Impacts
The following measures will be taken to avoid, minimize,
and mitigate the environmental impacts of the Randleman Lake
project
1) The PTRWA will perform a comprehensive cultural
resources inventory over a five to six -year period The
inventory will include archeological, architectural, and historic
components. At those sites determined eligible for listing in
the National Register of Historic Places, the PTRWA will perform
data recovery and mitigation pursuant to Section 106 of the
National Historic Preservation Act of 1966 and its regulations,
codified at 36 CFR Part 800.
2) The PTRWA will complete a detailed delineation of
wetlands impacted by Randleman Lake, using techniques approved by
the U S Army Corps of Engineers under its Section 404 regulatory
program. It will also develop a plan to mitigate the loss of
wetlands inundated by the reservoir The plan will, at a
minimum, include the protection of wetlands located in the buffer
area
3) The PTPWA will complete an up-to-date fish and
wildlife habitat and species inventory for the Randleman Lake
site, including the buffer area The Authority will then develop
and carry out a mitigation plan approved by State and Federal
fish and wildlife agencies.
-3-

1
4) The PTRWA will use best management practices 1n the
planning, care, and harvest of forests in the 3,000-acre buffer
area, following recommendations by the Division of Forest
Resources The main purposes of the buffer area, however, will
be for the protection of lake water quality and preservation of
wildlife habitat As a means of mitigating loss of wildlife
habitat, reforestation of some pasture lands in the buffer area
is likely The Authority will encourage its contractors to
salvage as much timber as possible from the lands inundated by
the reservoir It will require its contractors to protect
standing trees outside construction limits from heavy equipment.
5) The PTRWA will maintain a minimum flow in the Deep
River downstream of Randleman Dam of 30 cubic feet per second
(cfs) This minimum release will maintain the existing aquatic
habitat in the Deep River During extended dry periods, when the
water stored in the reservoir drops below 60 percent full, the
PTRWA will be allowed to decrease the minimum flow release to 20
cfs; and when the water stored drops below 30 percent full, the
PTRWA will be allowed to release only 10 cfs During the times
when the minimum flow is less than 30 cfs, PTRWA members will
implement a combination of voluntary and mandatory water
conservation measures.
6) The PTRWA will work with the N.0 Division of Land
Resources to develop an approved sedimentation control plan that
will result in the entrapment of most of the sediment in runoff
during the construction of the dam and reservoir.
7) The PTRWA will construct a multi -level outlet
device at the Randleman Dam in order that it can release high
quality water downstream regardless of the water level in the
lake The PTRWA will study the dissolved oxygen content in the
Deep River below the Randleman Dam, and if the oxygenation of the
water released from Randleman will result in significant
improvement of dissolved oxygen concentrations in the Deep River
below Carbonton Dam, then it will install and operate appropriate
oxygenation equipment at Randleman Dam.
8) The PTRWA will attempt to minimize the impacts of
Randleman Lake on downstream hydroelectric power facilities by
(1) extending the period of filling by releasing more than 30 cfs
and (2) releasing more than 30 cfs curing the early protect years
to enable the hydroelectric facilities to generate more power
than they would without the protect The amount of the release
will be determined through negotiations between the PTRWA and the
owners of the hydroelectric facilities.
-4-

9) The City of High Point will complete a water
quality assessment of its old landfill in order to develop a
closure plan. The City will then act to correct whatever water
quality problems are uncovered in the assessment.
10) The ten largest contributors of hazardous waste to
the Seaboard Chemical site will take whatever actions are
necessary to correct the ground water quality problems associated
with that site
11) The N.C. Division of Solid Waste Management will
test the old Randleman Town Dump and require the clean up of
whatever contamination is found
12) The N.0 Division of Environmental
investigate the causes of the dissolved oxygen
Carbonton Dam on the Deep River. Its engineers
ways to solve this problem
Management will
deficit below
will recommend
-5-

r/�
Y
�,7 199Divri a`
State of North Carolina ,`rw',
[)i�_,.,4f'o-rTa,
Department of Environment, Health, and Natural ResourLSes`AP4pgft
Division of Water Resources
512 North Salisbury Street • Raleigh, North Carolina 27611
James G Martin, Governor John N Morris
William W Cobey, Jr, Secretary May 6, 1991 Director
ILL
Mr Thomas Z Osborne _.
MAY
Chairman 7 1991
Piedmont Triad Regional Water Authority VIA-ipn il l
Koger Center, Wilmington Building O A:3IFY
2216 West Meadowview Road, Suite 100 SECTiDeq
Greensboro, North Carolina 27407
Dear Mr Osborne
Our Department has reviewed the comments made by the
public and by state agencies on the Draft Randleman Lake
Review Document and Environmental Impact Statement After
holding follow-up discussions with some of the agencies,
these are the subjects that we have identified that should
be added to or expanded in the EIS
- Update the water -use projections for the Authority
members to take the actual 1990 water -use rates and
population into account and to include the effects
of water conservation measures
- Summarize the secondary effects of the project
- Include a summary of the comparative environmental
impacts of the most practical alternatives to
Randleman Lake
- Respond to new information available on the High
Point landfill, the Seaboard Chemical site, and
the old Randleman town dump and their potential
effects on water quality at the proposed lake
- Complete a wildlife habitat and species inventory
for the Randleman site and a mitigation plan as
required by the Wildlife Resources Commission
PO Box 27687 Palugh North Carolina 27611 7687 Tcic.phonc 919 733 4064
An Equal Oppominity Affinni me Amon Lmploycr

Mr. Thomas Z. Osborne
Page 2
May 6, 1991
- Include a plan for the reservoir filling period
and an evaluation of its impact on downstream
water uses, including hydroelectric power
generation
The Department of Cultural Resources has concluded
that no further archeological studies are needed for the
purposes of the North Carolina Fnvironmental Impact
Statement Further work may be needed under federal law,
associated with your application for a Section 404 permit
from the U S Army Corps of Engineers
The State Environmental Policy Act requires that the
Environmental Impact Statement on this project be complete
before the Environmental Management Commission takes action
on it The EMC will use the EIS as a source of information
on the project, but has separate statutory authority for
review of projects like Randleman Lake and will not be bound
by the findings of the EIS
We will look forward to working with you toward the
completion of the EIS Please call on us for assistance as
needed
Sincerely yours,
John N Morris
cc Mr Charles Baker
Dr William Farabow
D,,�'- Arthur Cooper
,/Z George Everett