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| Local and regional law enforcement agencies, as well as students in SCC’s National Park Service/Seasonal Law Enforcement Training and Basic Law Enforcement Training programs, use the firing range. |
Upon receiving results from the latest round of tests at Southwestern Community College’s firing range, the N.C. Department of Environmental Quality has recommended “capping” of a recently excavated section.
From September through early November, approximately 350 tons of lead-impacted soil was removed from the range and successfully treated. It is in the process of being transported to regional landfills.
The area from which that soil was removed will now be “capped” with a non-porous soil, a synthetic liner or a combination of the two. A retaining pond is is proposed to be constructed over a portion of the cap to remove future lead contamination from run-off water coming from the firing range.
As has been the case throughout the cleanup process, SCC is following every recommendation made by NCDEQ officials. SCC initially and voluntarily reached out to NCDEQ (formerly N.C. Department of Environment and Natural Resources) in May of 2014 for guidance in evaluating and ultimately remediating the soil at the college’s firing range in Dillsboro.
To continue monitoring the site and to ensure there’s no further contamination, NCDEQ also asked that SCC install four monitoring wells at the range.
The monitoring wells will determine if the groundwater has been impacted beneath the firing range.
Once NCDEQ officials approve the plan developed by ECS Carolinas, sampling from the wells should be completed within a month. An initial estimate has the project at $14,400, all or part of which could potentially be covered by savings from the earlier remediation project.
SCC and ECS Carolinas are contacting civil engineers who can design the cap and retaining pond. A timetable and estimated cost will be determined for that project after a civil engineer has been hired.
