NC0000272_Public Comments_20220401 (2)

BILL WALKER
Executive Director
East Tennessee Local Workforce Development Board
728 Emory Valley Road, Ste. E
Oak Ridge, Tennessee 37830
[e-mail]
865. 705. 9765
21 April 2021
Wastewater Permitting
ATTN: Blue Ridge Paper Products Permit
1617 Mail Service Center
Raleigh, NC 27699-1617
Nc xcooa-1
RECEIVED
APR 27 2021
NCDEQIDWRINPDES
Greetings,
As an individual charged in my professional capacity with the advancement of economic development, job
creation, and job retention in the East Tennessee Local Workforce Development Area —a sixteen -county
service delivery area home to the Pigeon River— I write to express strong resistance to the request by Blue
Ridge Paper Products to remove the color variance from its new permit. The Pigeon River is still listed as
impaired because of color under the variance. Removal of the variance will do nothing to improve the color
and quality of the Pigeon River.
Cocke County, Tennessee, located in the East Tennessee Local Workforce Development Area, has benefited
tremendously from the rafting industry, which welcomes visitors from around the world to the white waters of
the Pigeon River, ranked #3 among top whitewater rafting rivers in the United States. The river experienced
consistent growth in terms of commercial rafting from 1995 to 2011, far surpassing the growth of other top
rivers. The number of annual rafting customer visits to Pigeon River increased from approximately 18,000 in
1995 to more than 160,000 in 2011, a growth rate of 750 percent!
From 1995 until 2019, nearly every year has seen a significant increase in the number of visitors and the
money derived from the business. Figures released by the Cocke County (TN) Clerk's office for the 2019
whitewater rafting season show 225,651 rafters paid to enjoy the local streams and brought in a total of
$375,567 to the county coffers. Added to that is $5,500 in permit fees paid by the eleven licensed rafting
companies. The $375,568 figure is up nearly $5,000 from the $370,752 paid by 222,535 rafters in 2018.
However, it still falls below the all-time high $405,742 figure from 2016 and the $391,960 in 2015. Anticipation
is high that the 2021 season, the first after the economic shutdown caused by COVID-19, will outstrip all
previous tourism and tax record.
Yet tax --records show only a modest return on the investment of whitewater rafting on the Pigeon River
in Tennessee. Industry models suggest that the total ROI for Pigeon River rafting exceeds $31 million annually.
I appreciate the opportunity to register my deep reservations about granting the variance requested by the Blue Ridge
Paper Products.
Sincerely,
Bill Walker