Dec. 7. NC Department of Environmental Quality will hold a public hearing on Colonial Pipeline’s permit application for a permanent water treatment plant in Huntersville near the gasoline spill.

While the date and location has not been set, it will likely be in mid-to-late January at CPCC’s Huntersville auditorium, according to NC Sen. Natasha Marcus.

NC Sen. Natasha Marcus

“The department received 31 public comments, including from me and several other elected officials, the Yadkin Riverkeeper, and residents of the area. Almost everyone requested a public hearing. That made the difference in the subjective decision about whether to hold a public hearing,” Marcus said.

Impact

Colonial upwardly revised the spill to 2 million gallons from 500,000 gallons released in the Oehler Nature Preserve off Hwy. 73, making it the largest onshore fuel spill in the nation.

Penalties

Colonial must pay a civil penalty of $4.5 million plus $250,000 in investigative costs and additional stipulated penalties for failure to perform activities or meet the required schedule. By statute, collected civil penalties are sent to the state’s education fund.