20080868 Ver 2_Public Comments_20061229

December 20, 2006
John Dorney
I)EN R
Water Quality Lab.
1621 Mail Service Center
Raleigh, NC. 217699-1621
Dear Mr. Dorney,
I am writing to express my concern with the proposal by PCS Phosphate to
expand its mining operaticnn in Eastern NC by draining and mining, 2.500 acres of
wetlands.
The preferred choice of PCS will destroy the headwvaters of 7 creeks that Iced into South
Creek and the Pamlico. This is not the first tirne the chine has requested and been granted
permission to mine one ofthe creeks in the vicinity. There was a lame creek, Lee Creep,
which fed into the Pamlico River between South Creek and Durham Creek. The
phosphate mine mined and filled the creek, leaving a small drainage ditch where the
creek once was. The phosphate mine built a landing strip to service the company planes
where Lee Creek once flowed into the river, and named the landing strip the Lee Creek.
Airport. Additionally„ the current mining company. PCS has already been issued.
permission to carr, out the largest drainage and destruction of wetlands in NC to date.
when in 1997 it requested and was granted permit to drain and mine 1200 acres of
wetlands in this same area. Flow could it be in the long tem best interest of North
Carolina to allow a Canadian owned mine to take our natural resources, destrov the
ecology, property value. fishing industry, and future economic growth potential of such a
large portion of North Carolina's Inner banks in exchange for a relatively small short
term boost to the local economy that will vanish as soon as the mining operation is done?
It is clear from looking at the enclosed map of the `"PCS Preferred" and "Alternate"
trunin.g tracts proposed by PCS that they intend to ultimately mine as much of the area
of Beaufort Countv between Durham and South Creek, as possible. regardless of the
destruction the North Carolina's fragile wetland ecology and in spite of the damage it will
do to the long term future of the area.
Through the enclosed photos it is easy to see the impact the mine has had on the river and
the surrounding areas since it began operations in I963. I have enclosed aerial
photographs of the region taken in 1958 by the North Carolina Department of
Environmental & Natural Resources, North Carolina Geological Survey Division before
the mine was established. I have also enclosed some current Google Map Guest satellite
photos that show the area today. I have labeled key points on each photo so you can
easily compare them. As you can see, I_,ee Creek has been destroyed, and large areas of
the surrounding: landscape have been permanently altered by the mining operations.
The enclosed photos prove a sharp contrast to the, environmentally friendly image. the
mine attempts to promote of its self when it proudly points to a flooded farmland with a

eNv planted cypress trees south of Aurora as proof ofits reclamation strategy. While the
flooded farm may meet the legal specifications required for wetland restoration, it hardly
replaces Lee Creek in appearance., Function, or ecological value. Nor does it repair the
long range economic damage done to local property values, the fishing, and the tourism
industry. To allow the mine to repeat this assault on North Carolina's environment, and
the people that live or own property in the area would be unforgivable,
Once the mine has finished with and left Beaufort County, what value will the mined land
and surrounding area have? Phosphate mining and processim-, is known to produce
byproducts that are toxic at levels the "EPA believes may pose chemical hazard to human
health and the environment". These byproducts include (but are not limited to)
radioactive particles of uranium, radium -226, and radon -222, and non radioactive
arsenic. lead. cadmium, chromium. fluoride, zinc, antimony, and copper. In addition to
being a threat to current residents in the area, the pollution issues threaten to cripple the
future financial vrowth and stability of the region by inflicting long term damage to the
area's water. airf Floridaquality, and land. Residents o have already experienced the
impact of radon contamination and exposure in structures built on reclaimed phosphate
land as well as ground water contamination from former mining sites. The ground water
near the PCS plant and stomai-e area (which is on the banks of the Pamlico River) already
11 in great quantity. If the phosphate mine i
reeks of sulfur. a chemical the plant uses daily i Z__ - is
allowed to continue to exoand, who will protect Beaufort County from the contamination
produced by its mining and processing operations?
It would be in the long term best interest for North Carolina not to grant any permits that
would allow PCS to exoand. PCS Must not be permitted to exnand its operations into the
creeks and wetlands of either its Preferred Alternative, or the Bonnerton Tract
Alternative. The South of 33 Alternative . while not without environmental consequence,
will have much less of an impact on the wetland ecology, and is a better option that either
the Bonnerton Tract Alternative or the Preferred Tract Alternative.
Sincerely,
Ann Pate

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