CHARLOTTE, N.C. — In February 2023, there was a chemical disaster in East Palestine, Ohio, forever chemicals were found in eastern North Carolina waterways, and in Charlotte, gallons of hydraulic oil spilled in Little Sugar Creek.
Because of these incidents and other similar situations in the country, people have flooded social media with concerns about water quality. However, Mecklenburg County officials say the water is safe and the Ohio spill can’t reach its waterways.
Streams and lakes around the Charlotte area are tested daily for contaminants as a safety measure.
"We’ve got 33 continuous automated monitoring sites throughout the county that are collecting data 24 hours a day, seven days a week,” Rusty Rozzelle, manager of Mecklenburg County’s Water Quality Program, told WCNC Charlotte.
He added the program also has creek cameras and a team that goes out to take physical samples weekly.
While the environmental catastrophe in Ohio is causing concern nationwide, Rozzelle said it’s "physically impossible" for the chemical spill to enter North Carolina’s waterways.
“Our water does not flow from Ohio here," Rozzelle explained, "it is in the Mississippi River Basin and it flows from the mountains, east or west, not the other way.”
Rozelle noted the train derailment in Ohio could happen anywhere, including the Charlotte area. The difference, he said, is Mecklenburg County’s 24/7 response capability and a hazmat team.
The team responds to about 70 toxic spills from transportation accidents each year. Rozzelle said most are gasoline spills from tanker trucks after wrecks on highways.
“We’re able to clean it up and get it under control rapidly because we're able to bring a lot of resources to the scene very quickly. A lot of really smart people with a lot of capabilities, which they did not have there apparently,” Rozzelle said.
He said Charlotte being a growing urban area offering competitive pay is the main reason his department can recruit experienced talent in the environmental field.
WCNC Charlotte reached out to towns closer to the Ohio River Basin to see if they have amped up water testing after the Ohio chemical spill. Lenoir, Boone, and Newland all said they are not doing additional testing but monitor water quality regularly.
If residents in the Charlotte area notice anything odd in waterways like odor, dead fish, or discoloration, Mecklenburg County asks they report it by calling 311.
Contact Julia Kauffman at jkauffman@wcnc.com and follow her on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.