20060180 Ver 1_Public Notice Comments_20060518

Ms. Cindy Karoly
North Carolina Division of Water Quality
1650 Mail Service Center
Raleigh, North Carolina 27699-1650
May 12~' 2006
Deaz Ms. Kazoly
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MAY 1 8 2006
DENR -WATER QUALITY
N+EItArN)S AND ST01iA1yVATFlt BRANCH
I am an adjoining property owner to the Corps Action ID# 200630172 Ginn-Lawel Creek LLC
proposed Laurelmor project. I recently received a Public Notice from the Corps of Army
Engineers, Wilmington District concerning this project. I would like to list certain concerns that I
feel will adversely affect my family and my property.
There is no city or county water system located with in 20 miles of our location nor are there any
plans to install one in the future. At the present time, my family and my sister's family uses an
80 ft bored well, which supplies us with good clean water. Laurelmor has recently drilled three
wells, at least 1000 ft. deep, which according to their application will produce 550 gallons per
minute. These wells aze located approximately 750 yazds from my well. I feel that the large
volume of water being pumped will lower the water table to the point that my well will dry up.
According to the "Stages of Aquifer Depletion", it states "this zone of influence can easily have
dimensions of a mile or more" and this concerns me. We feel Laurelmor, as a good neighbor,
should make arrangements to supply us with a water source if our only source of clean water
depletes in the future. We aze concerned also that nitrate runoff from turf and vineyazd
fertilization of this planned community/golf course and runoff into French drains will affect the
water quality of our streams and eventually taint the water table thus making our water non-
potable.
My sister's family, my nephew's family and I, live in very close proximity to Dogger Creek. At
least two other families live directly across this creek from us. ff it is the intent of Laurelmor to
build earthen dams on tributary's of and possibly completely dam Dogger Creek (I could not tell
from their maps), then we have a great concern for the potential of flooding and dread the
possibility of a 100ft wall of water rushing down the narrow creek bed of Dogger Creek. This
would occur if the earthen dam breaks resulting in the loss of life and praperty loss. All dams
drawings aze not to scale so I have no knowledge of how many acres these lakes will cover or
how deep they will be. All I know is I live below them, water runs downhill and we cannot
begin to guess how much potential danger lies ahead for our community.
I do know that the Stony Fork community, the next drainage north of Laurel Creek, experienced
whole slopes sliding into Stony Fork Creek after torrential rains in 1940. The earthen and debris
dams broke after water pressure built behind them sending walls of water hundreds of feet high
down this steep creek, killing people in their homes. The topography of Dogger Creek matches
that of Stony Fork.

We live in a beautiful location that makes it desirable for others to want to live here also.
Dogger and Laurel Creeks and their tributaries are renowned Trout streams. What will happen
after 50 miles of paved roads (not including golf cart trails) heats up during the summer and after
evening rain showers occur causing hot water to run into their tributaries? As trout demand cold
water to live, this thermal pollution will adversely affect trout populations. What will miles of
utility lines that will be sprayed with herbicides having potential runoff do to aquatic plants and
mosses growing in these streams? Without aquatic plants there can be no aquatic insects for trout
to feed on. What will happen to Great Blue Herons, which are protected by the Migratory Bird
Treaty Act of 1916, and are seen almost daily wading up Dogger Creek and who nest on this
property? The timber rattlesnake is a threatened species that occupies this land, as does the Bog
turtle. How much space is provided for them? Rattlesnakes and bog turtles roam free so to set
aside a space for bog turtles and small flower ginger is not protecting the environment as well as
it should be protected. Buffers are not adequate and wetlands that filter the water are not going
to be protected. The pure water we have enjoyed is now in danger and we are depending on your
agency to protect the water we must have.
We are adjoining property owners affected by this decision. As we have these and other pertinent
concerns, we request a Public Hearing be held to consider this application ID#200630172. We
feel we have raised substantial issues about water quality, water availability, endangered species
and flooding dangers. There is valid interest to be served to this community by having a hearing.
Sincerely:
Mr. Perry R. Whitson
7872 Elk Creek Darby RD
Ferguson NC 28624
3 ~~~~~'~

Water'I'able Drawdown and Well Pumping
WELL
STAGES OF AQUIFER DEPLETION
WELL TREES
RANGE OF IJATURAL
WELL /WATER TABLE VARIATION
EFFECTIVELY DEPI„ETED;
LOW - RATE EXTRACTION
~~STILL P46SIBLE,
4°~ tip" ~ .: i 1 ~~. ..a,
IRRK3A1'lON P055fBL.E
~SUT„ REDVCEO PUMPINQ ,~,, ,,,, .
~' RI1TE5 CAUSE FULLY DEPLETED;
INCREASING PROBLEMS GROtlNDWATER
ONLY IN BEDROCK ~
CHANNELS AND
DEPRESSK3NS
/~1 _ I
Figure 2: Resource use zones and progressive aquifer exhaustion.
I'agc 2 of 4
As pumping continues, the rate of local drawdown decreases and eventually stabilizes as the withdrawal is compensated for
by inflow of groundwater from the surrounding area. As this happens, the measurable decline in the water table spreads
outward. When the groundwater system has adjusted to the pumping, the resulting pattern of water table depression is
sometimes referred to as steady-state drawdown; this feature is illustrated in figure 1. The pattern of water table distortion is
called the cone of depression, and the area over which the depression can be detected is called the zone of influence of the
well. This zone of influence can easily have dimensions of a mile or more, depending on the characteristics of the aquifer.
Figure 3 illustrates the estimated distribution of zones of influence of non-irrigation wells in GMD3. This map, in
combination with the depletion and reduction maps, can also provide an indication of the potential needs and priorities for
management subunits and the designation of sustainability reserves for the transistion from non-sustainable irrigation to
sustainable non-irrigation uses.
http://www.kgs.ku.edu/HighPlains/atlas/apdrdwn.htm 5/5/2006