20121074 Ver 1_Public Comments_20130107 (3)

December 27, 2012
Ms. Karen Higgins
North Carolina Division of Water Quality
1650 Mail Service Center
Raleigh, NC 27699 -1617
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JAN 7 2013
Re: Corps Action ID# SAW- 2012 -01900
Ashley Furniture Industries Inc. (916 Baltimore Rd., Advance, in Davie County, North Carolina), permit
authorization application to expand the current facility in Davie County, NC
Ms. Higgins,
My husband and I, who are homeowners in the Baltimore Trails equestrian subdivision which is located
directly behind Ashley Furniture Industries and will be impacted by said company's application for
permit to expand manufacturing facilities, are requesting that the certification required by Section 401 of
the Clean Water Act be DENIED by the NCDWQ.
To comply with the current comment deadline of December 27, 2013 for written comments, the following
are our initial comments to for the certification from the NCDWQ to deny the permit for the US Army
Corps of Engineers to expand the Ashley Furniture facility:
1. The community and affected property owners need be given proper notice and an
opportunity to be heard. All affected property owners were not given this public notice
and therefore may be unaware of this deadline and notice.
2. The threat of water quality declination, particularly contamination of current aquifers and
Buffalo Creek water supply for all affected downstream during all phases of construction
including additional homes, schools, farming interests and livestock.
3. The likelihood of contamination of well water during construction and monitoring for
chemical intrusion once the manufacturing facility begins operations.
4. The likelihood of surface water contamination to adjacent land from construction or
manufacturing operations that could impact our equestrian developments with possible
toxic effects on the horses due to their feeding on field grass and drinking from streams.
5. The likelihood of flooding due to fill placement in wetlands. Ashley Furniture Industries
has a history of causing flooding as they did in Arcadia, Wisconsin October of 2010.
6. The incorrect statement on page 2 of public notice that "land use in the area around the
Ashley Furniture property is mostly open pasture and forest with FEW rural residential
properties..." The actual fact is that land use in the area around the Ashley Furniture
property is more than 24 homes and lots in the Baltimore Trails and Baltimore Downs

subdivisions directly adjacent to, not including the hundreds of homes and farms across
and alongside Baltimore Rd. and others located further down Buffalo Creek.
For these compelling reasons, we ask that the NCDWQ investigate this request for permit certification
more in depth and that certification for the permit to expand the Ashley Furniture facility be denied.
Sinc re ,
Nic a 4 ciMe a
Concerned homeowners, Baltimore Trails
Cc: Senator Richard Burr
United States Senator
2000 W. First Street, Ste 508
Winston - Salem, NC 27104
Senator Kay Hagan
Unites States Senator
701 Green Valley Rd., Ste 201
Greensboro, NC 27408
Representative Virginia Foxx
6000 Meadowbrook Mall, Ste 3
Clemmons, NC 27012
Representative Julia C. Howard
NC House of Representatives
16 W. Jones Street, Rm 1106
Raleigh, NC 27601
State Senator Andrew C. Brock
NC Senator
300 N. Salisbury St, Rm 623
Raleigh, NC 27603
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