NC0026573_Biosolids Investigation_20150405

1017 Main Campus Dr, Suite 1200  Raleigh, North Carolina 27606  919-582-5859  fax [phone] www.freese.com

MEMORANDUM

Introduction

This memo is in response to the letter from NCDENR dated November 17, 2014 regarding the City of Morganton’s
Biosolids Investigation. Dark material, potentially organic in nature, was found on the property and an
investigation was begun to determine the history of the material deposit and if it has affected groundwater in the
area. Freese and Nichols (FNI) is working on the investigation to determine the potential area affected and the
extent of resulting potential groundwater contamination. In response to the letter from NCDENR, FNI prepared a
memorandum dated December 19, 2014 that outlined steps to address the concerns raised in the letter. The
information gathered to date, with respect to the investigation is presented below.

Extent of the Deposit

FNI has researched plant record drawings and historic aerial photos. In addition, FNI has gathered geotechnical
borings obtained from previous projects. A total of eight (8) aerial photos have been obtained beginning in 1971
and extending to 2013. Each of the photos is attached to this memo for reference. The photo from May 1982
indicates a low spot in the vicinity of the area in question. Since that time, it appears this low area has been filled,
potentially in part with biosolids material. This theory is consistent with information presented in logs for Borings
A-2, B-8, and B-10 of the Geotechnical Investigation performed by Kleinfelder from July 2011. A boring map and
associated borings are attached to this memo for reference. The borings indicate areas of fill and a seam of this fill
is noted as organic. Based on all information obtained, it appears that the area of deposit is approximately 2,300
square yards. Based on the geotechnical borings, the deposit has an average approximate depth of 5-feet. Using
these numbers, it is estimated that up to approximately 3,800 cubic yards of biosolids are deposited in the area.

Additional Deposits

No additional areas containing biosolids deposits are currently known to exist on site. Based on a review of the
historic aerial photos, two areas similar in appearance to the original deposit were identified. Those areas are as
follows:
 1982 Photo – South and west of the current primary clarifiers
TO: Brett Laverty - NCDENR
CC: Brad Boris – City of Morganton
FROM: Bryan C. Jann, P.E.
SUBJECT: City of Morganton Biosolids Investigation
DATE: April 8, 2015
PROJECT: MGN14349
Brett Laverty
April 8, 2015
Page 2 of 3

 1987 Photo – In the area of the current primary clarifiers

Based on preliminary discussions, NCDENR has requested field reconnaissance to determine if biosolids are
present in these locations and if so, the extent of the deposits.

Groundwater Monitoring

As a result of the initial groundwater testing conducted and presented in a report prepared by S&ME dated August
25, 2014, NCDENR has requested additional testing and monitoring in an attempt to determine the full extent of
nitrate and manganese groundwater contamination. Based on a review of the initial groundwater testing well
locations and results, we recommend placement of three (3) additional wells.

An exhibit depicting a portion of the site with the generally defined, additional testing well locations is
attached. The proposed wells are depicted as TW-4, TW-5, and TW-6. We anticipate limited value in placing a
well(s) east of the historic biosolids area, since this area is heading up a significant hill. Using topography as a
guide to groundwater, this would be up-gradient to the disposal area. Testing for ammonia, arsenic, barium,
cadmium, chloride, chromium, fecal coliform bacteria, iron, lead, manganese, mercury, nitrate, nitrite, phenols,
selenium, silver, sulfate, total coliform bacteria, and zinc would be conducted on the samples. Results from this
round of testing will be used to determine if further testing and/or sustained monitoring is warranted.

Should field reconnaissance efforts as discussed above reveal the presence of additional biosolids deposits,
additional test wells may be considered. The number and location of additional test wells, if necessary, will be
coordinated and approved by NCDENR prior to installation.

Residential Water Supply Wells

Per the NCDENR letter, a 1500-foot radius was examined from the probable biosolids deposit site. Exhibit A below
shows the radius in relation to the site. All residential areas in the vicinity of the WWTP utilize City water service
and none are located within the 1500-feet. Further, all property within this area is owned and under control of
the City and to our knowledge, no supply wells are located within the radius.

Exhibit A. 1500 ft. radius around suspect materials
Brett Laverty
April 8, 2015
Page 3 of 3

Next Steps

We recommend proceeding with field reconnaissance efforts to determine if biosolids are present in the alternate
locations as discussed above. Once the fieldwork is complete, FNI will coordinate with the City and NCDENR to
finalize the installation and location additional wells as applicable. Should no additional deposits be detected, FNI
proposes to proceed with the installation of the additional test wells (TW-4, 5, and 6) and testing of the
groundwater as discussed above. Upon completion of the testing, a review meeting with NCDENR, the City of
Morganton, and FNI is recommended to discuss the results and determine the next steps.

Aerial Photos

Exhibit A. Historical Imagery: November 8, 1971

Exhibit B. Historical Imagery: May 1982

Exhibit C. Historical Imagery: March 23, 1987

Exhibit D. Historical Imagery: March 1993

Exhibit E. Historical Imagery: February 2004

Exhibit F. Historical Imagery: April 2011

Exhibit G. Historical Imagery: November 2011

Exhibit H. Historical Imagery: November 2013

Test Well Plan
!A
!A
!A
!A
TW-3
TW-2
TW-1
Original TW-1
Source: Esri, DigitalGlobe, GeoEye, i-cubed, Earthstar Geographics, CNES/Airbus DS, USDA, USGS, AEX, Getmapping, Aerogrid, IGN, IGP,swisstopo, and the GIS User Community GROUNDWATER ASSESSMENT MAPMORGANTON WWTPMORGANTON, NORTH CAROLINA2 3458-14-078MEM08.14.2014EQBHFIGURE NO.SCALE:PROJECT NO.DATE:DRAWN BY:CHECKED BY:WWW.SMEINC.COMREFERENCE:GIS DATA LAYERS WERE OBTAINED FROM ESRI, INC. PLEASE NOTE THIS MAP IS FOR INFORMATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY. IT IS NOT MEANT FOR DESIGN,LEGAL, OR ANY OTHER USES. THERE ARE NO GUARANTEES ABOUT ITS ACCURACY. S&ME, INC. ASSUMES NO RESPONSIBILITY FOR ANY DECISIONMADE OR ANY ACTIONS TAKEN BY THE USER BASED UPON THIS INFORMATION.
±1 " = 100 'ENGINEERING LICENSE NO.Q:\GIS\2014\4358\4358-14-078 Freese & Nichols Morganton\Maps\GW Assessment Map.mxd!A Temporary Well Locations
CATAWBA RIVER
EQUALIZATION BASINHistoricBiosolidsArea

Geotechnical Borings
PROJECT:DATE:DRAWN BY:SCALE :DRAWING:BORING LOCATION PLAN11987107/13/11JDFNTS2CHECKED BY:XCBApproximate Soil Test Boring Location MORGANTON, NORTH CAROLINACATAWBA RIVER WPCFS:\Charlotte Branch\0210 Geotech\2011\Projects\1119871 Catawba WPCF\Report\1119871-2B-1B-2B-3B-4B-6B-5B-7B-8B-9B-10B-11B-12A-3B-13NA-1A-2
0.001,032.0
1.0
3.5
6.0
8.5
13.5
18.5
23.5
28.5
33.5
38.5
43.5
48.5
1,031.0
1,028.5
1,026.0
1,023.5
1,018.5
1,013.5
1,008.5
1,003.5
998.5
993.5
988.5
983.5
SS-1
SS-2
SS-3
SS-4
SS-5
SS-6
SS-7
SS-8
SS-9
SS-10
SS-11
SS-12
1,031.7
1,029.0
1,020.0
1,015.0
1,010.0
995.0
990.0
983.2
0.3
3.0
12.0
17.0
22.0
37.0
42.0
48.8
Organic Laden Topsoil
Very Moist Firm Tan Red Brown Micaceous
Coarse to Fine Sandy Silty LEAN CLAY with
organics - FILL
Very Moist to Wet Soft Olive Tan Brown
Micaceous Clayey Coarse to Fine Sandy SILT
with rock fragments - FILL
Borehole Cave-In observed at 11 feet below
existing ground surface after obtaining 24 hour
reading.
Wet Very Soft Black Gray Coarse to Fine
Sandy FAT CLAY with organics - FILL
Very Moist Firm Red Brown Coarse to Fine
Sandy Clayey ELASTIC SILT - FILL
Very Moist Stiff to Very Stiff Red Brown Coarse
to Fine Sandy Clayey ELASTIC SILT -
RESIDUAL
Very Moist Stiff Orange Tan Brown Silty
Coarse to Fine Sandy LEAN CLAY
SOFT WEATHERED ROCK: Samples as -
Yellow Olive Brown Clayey Silty Coarse to Fine
SAND with rock fragments
Boring Terminated at 48.8 feet below existing
ground surface in SOFT WEATHERED ROCK
Groundwater Not Encountered during drilling
activities and groundwater encountered at 48
feet at 24 hrs. after completion of drilling.
BLOW COUNT L
O
G
DEPTH
(ft) 0.5ft 0.5ft 0.5ft
1,032.0
BLOWS PER FOOT
BORING LOG
ELEV.
(ft)0 20 40 60 80 100 MOI
SOIL AND ROCK DESCRIPTION
SAMP.
NO.
COLLAR ELEV.
COMPLETED
GROUND WATER (ft)
TOTAL DEPTH
OFFSET
ID No.
6/16/116/16/11
EASTING
ALIGNMENTBORING LOCATION
SURFACE WATER DEPTH
COUNTY
HAMMER TYPE
119871 Burke
NORTHING
B-8
140 lb. Auto
PAGE 1 OF 1
GEOLOGIST
DATE STARTED
24 HR.
48.8 ft DRILL MACHINE
NGWE
48.0
BORING NO.
PROJECT NO.
0 HR.
DRILL METHOD
Catawba River WPCF - Flow EQ/Future Bardenpho Basins (No. 3)
CME 55 Truck HSA
1032.0 ft
SITE DESCRIPTION
J. Robbins
DOT GENERAL 119871.GPJ NC_DOT.GDT 7/15/113
1
2
2
WOH
4
8
10
10
8
--
--
3
2
2
2
WOH
3
4
4
4
4
50/0.4
50/0.3
2
1
1
1
WOH
1
7
6
8
6
--
--
5
2
3
3
0
5
15
16
18
14
100+
100+
0.001,047.0
1.0
3.5
6.0
8.5
13.5
18.5
23.5
28.5
33.5
38.5
43.5
48.5
1,046.0
1,043.5
1,041.0
1,038.5
1,033.5
1,028.5
1,023.5
1,018.5
1,013.5
1,008.5
1,003.5
998.5
SS-1
SS-2
SS-3
SS-4
SS-5
SS-6
SS-7
SS-8
SS-9
SS-10
SS-11
SS-12
1,046.7
1,044.0
1,039.0
1,035.0
1,030.0
1,025.0
1,020.0
1,015.0
1,010.0
1,000.5
998.0
0.3
3.0
8.0
12.0
17.0
22.0
27.0
32.0
37.0
46.5
49.0
Organic Laden Topsoil
Very Moist Firm Red Brown Slightly Micaceous
Coarse to Fine Sandy Clayey ELASTIC SILT -
FILL
Wet Soft to Very Soft Red Brown Micaceous
Coarse to Fine Sandy Clayey ELASTIC SILT -
FILL
Wet Soft Black Gray Coarse to Fine Sandy
FAT CLAY with organics - FILL
Wet Firm Red Brown Coarse to Fine Sandy
Clayey ELASTIC SILT with organics - FILL
Borehole Cave-in observed at 13 feet after
obtaining 24 hour reading.
Very Moist Dense Tan Brown Silty Coarse to
Fine SAND - RESIDUAL
Very Moist Medium Dense Red Brown Silty
Clayey Coarse to Fine SAND
Moist to Very Moist Dense Brown Tan Clayey
Silty Coarse to Fine SAND with Rock
Fragments
SOFT WEATHERED ROCK: Samples as -
Brown Tan Silty Coarse to Fine SAND
Moist to Very Moist Very Dense Brown Tan
Clayey Silty Coarse to Fine SAND with Rock
Fragments
SOFT WEATHERED ROCK: Samples as -
Tan Brown Micaceous Coarse to Fine Sandy
SILT with Rock Fragments
Boring Terminated at 49 feet below existing
ground surface in SOFT WEATHERED ROCK
Groundwater Encountered at 48 feet during
drilling activities and at 47.5 feet at 24 hrs.
after completion of drilling.
BLOW COUNT L
O
G
DEPTH
(ft) 0.5ft 0.5ft 0.5ft
1,047.0
BLOWS PER FOOT
BORING LOG
ELEV.
(ft)0 20 40 60 80 100 MOI
SOIL AND ROCK DESCRIPTION
SAMP.
NO.
COLLAR ELEV.
COMPLETED
GROUND WATER (ft)
TOTAL DEPTH
OFFSET
ID No.
6/15/116/15/11
EASTING
ALIGNMENTBORING LOCATION
SURFACE WATER DEPTH
COUNTY
HAMMER TYPE
119871 Burke
NORTHING
B-10
140 lb. Auto
PAGE 1 OF 1
GEOLOGIST
DATE STARTED
24 HR.
49.0 ft DRILL MACHINE
48.0
47.5
BORING NO.
PROJECT NO.
0 HR.
DRILL METHOD
Catawba River WPCF - Flow EQ/Future Bardenpho Basins (No. 4)
CME 55 Truck HSA
1047.0 ft
SITE DESCRIPTION
J. Robbins
DOT GENERAL 119871.GPJ NC_DOT.GDT 7/15/113
1
WOH
1
4
18
9
23
50
50
31
--
2
1
WOH
2
2
12
12
5
26
39
25
50/0.4
2
1
WOH
1
4
15
9
18
50
35
28
--
5
2
0
2
8
33
18
41
100
85
59
100+
0.001,047.0
1,046.5
1,036.0
1,030.5
1,012.0
0.5
11.0
16.5
35.0
Organic Laden Topsoil
Moist Red Brown Coarse to Fine Sandy Silty
LEAN CLAY - FILL
Very Moist Black Gray Coarse to Fine Sandy
FAT CLAY with organics - FILL
Moist Brown Red Silty Coarse to Fine SAND -
RESIDUAL
Auger Probe Terminated at 35 feet below
existing ground surface.
Groundwater was Encountered at 25 feet
below the existing ground surface at
Termination of Drilling.
AUGER PROBE
BLOW COUNT L
O
G
DEPTH
(ft) 0.5ft 0.5ft 0.5ft
1,047.0
BLOWS PER FOOT
BORING LOG
ELEV.
(ft)0 20 40 60 80 100 MOI
SOIL AND ROCK DESCRIPTION
SAMP.
NO.
COLLAR ELEV.
COMPLETED
GROUND WATER (ft)
TOTAL DEPTH
OFFSET
ID No.
6/15/116/15/11
EASTING
ALIGNMENTBORING LOCATION
SURFACE WATER DEPTH
COUNTY
HAMMER TYPE
119871 Burke
NORTHING
A-2
NA
PAGE 1 OF 1
GEOLOGIST
DATE STARTED
24 HR.
35.0 ft DRILL MACHINE
25.0
NA
BORING NO.
PROJECT NO.
0 HR.
DRILL METHOD
Catawba River WPCF - Future Bardenpho Basin
CME 55 Truck HSA
1047.0 ft
SITE DESCRIPTION
J. Robbins
DOT GENERAL 119871.GPJ NC_DOT.GDT 7/14/11