Fearrington-Galloway Ridge Drinking Water Quality

This guest article has been prepared and submitted by Don Francisco. We want to express our appreciation to Don for this very nice community contribution. Residents can find his contact information listed in the 2016 Fearrington Village Directory and Handbook. 

I am a retired clinical professor of environmental biology from the UNC Department of Environmental Sciences and Engineering. My specialty was limnology (study of freshwater systems), wastewater treatment microbiology, and drinking water treatment. I was the first to study Jordan Lake beginning just after the dam was closed in 1982. I began my career researching taste and odor problems in drinking water reservoirs. We lived in Chapel Hill for 48 years, and we are now residents of Galloway Ridge.

Some residents have told me that they are very concerned about the quality of our drinking water.  Some are even regularly boiling their drinking water. I think this concern is overblown.

Our raw (untreated) water comes from Jordan Lake just to the north of US 64 on the east side of the highway bridge. It is transported from there to the treatment plant on the south side of US64. The Town of Cary also takes its raw water from this same intake.

The North Chatham Water Treatment Plant is a standard design treatment facility that provides suspended solids (turbidity) removal, pH control, and chlorination for disinfection.  Occasionally, they use powdered activated carbon to control tastes and odors. I have visited the plant and talked with the operators. While the plant is small, it seems to be quite competently operated. They also have a close relationship with the personnel at the much larger Cary plant that treats the same raw water. I’m confident that they do a good job treating our drinking water.

There is no reason to be concerned about the quality of our water. It is basically the same as all other drinking water produced from reservoirs in North Carolina. The greatest hazard is that runoff containing nutrients (phosphorus and nitrogen) will promote excessive growth of algae in the Lake.  Many of these produce compounds which cause objectionable tastes and odors. This is an aesthetic problem not a human health problem.

The most accepted means for limiting the growth of algae is to limit the amount of nutrients entering the Lake. The greatest current source of these is in runoff from agricultural and urban land uses. This is what the recently canceled “Jordan Lake Rules” were intended to accomplish. The best way to show concern for the quality of our drinking water is to advocate rational means for limiting the input of nutrients into the Lake.

Of course, treated wastewater is introduced upstream from the Lake. Most of the reservoirs in the US have treated wastewater discharged upstream. In our case, the wastewater treatment plants are some of the most advanced in the world. They remove contaminants to very low concentrations. When discharges enter the reservoir, they are diluted by a huge volume of water. This further decreases the concentration of the contaminants.

All of this being said, many water quality experts use point-of-use filters (at or under individual faucets) to remove potentially present and probably unmeasurable compounds and protozoan cysts. I use these because they make my drinking water aesthetically more uniform, and they very likely remove many of the compounds that we cannot measure. These filters are essentially insurance against exposure to unknown contaminants.

No Bicycles on Our Paths, Trails, or Sidewalks

Do Not Ride Bicycles on Our Village Paths, Trails, or Sidewalks!

Pedestrians and bicycles do not mix safely, especially on our narrow gravel paths and trails, or on our few village sidewalks. All of our pedestrian ways do not have a lot of room for either walkers or cyclists to maneuver, and even much less room when they co-mingle.

Our paths and trails have very few straight sections and wander with many curves and some small hills that make for short clear sightlines. Bicycles move much faster than pedestrians, and many pedestrians do not always walk in predictable fashion or straight lines along the paths and trails.

In fact, pedestrians on narrow paths and walkways can be a hazard to cyclists and could cause an accident if they were to be startled by finding a bicycle suddenly coming their way and move unpredictably--trying to get out of the way--and end up becoming in the way.

The best and safest advice: cyclists, use the roads and not the paths, trails, or our few sidewalks.

Chatham County Emergency Management Certified as Storm Ready

Chatham County : News & Updates : Chatham Emergency Management Certified as Storm Ready Posted on August 31, 2016

Mosquito Control Advice for Village Homeowners

According to Dr. Michael Waldvogel, Department of Entomology and Extension Associate. Professor & Specialist, Structural & Industrial Pests at North Carolina State University, to control the risk of mosquitoes in the community, there actually needs to be a community-wide education program emphasizing homeowner responsibility to inspect and control the great many breeding sources that exist and are largely ignored. 

 Small round mosquito dunks protect
up to 100 sq.ft. for up to 30 days
and can be broken into smaller pieces
for smaller areas. Not practical
 for very large areas.

Residents should be encouraged to keep mosquitoes from laying eggs inside and outside of our homes. Items in and around homes can collect water: 

Suggestions include: once a week, empty and scrub, turn over, cover, or throw out containers that hold water, such as: 

⨀ vases, ⨀ pet water bowls,  ⨀ flowerpot saucers,  ⨀  rain barrels with open unscreened tops,  ⨀ buckets, tarps and outdoor furniture covers that sag and collect rainwater,  ⨀ birdbaths,  ⨀ trash cans, ⨀ wheelbarrows and garden carts left outside should be turned upside down, ⨀ and gutters and stormwater drains around the house should be inspected to be sure they are not holding any standing water.

Overall conclusions: 

• A community’s mosquito problems are proportional to the level of residents’ understanding that the large number of breeding sources in even small pools of standing water around (especially) new homes without developed lawns are one of the largest sources of the problem and, hence, prime areas for prevention and mitigation. Neighbors need to assume some direct responsibility for monitoring and controlling such sources.

• Paying attention to several large stormwater pools, where water may sit for short periods of time, is important, but is dwarfed by the much larger number of unrecognized breeding sources. 

Community Health Advisory

On July 30, 2016, a resident who went outside her home at 9:00pm to water a plant was bitten by a copperhead. She called for and received emergency medical attention and is recovering well.

During the summer months copperheads are more nocturnal. Residents who go outside in the dark should take a flashlight to see what is in front of them and be aware that snakes are not just in the wooded areas, but can be right in front of your house at night, especially on sidewalks and in, or around, bushes and shrubbery.

According to the North Carolina State University Cooperative Extension Service, copperheads can be found from the Florida panhandle north to Massachusetts and west to Nebraska, and they bite more people in most years than any other U.S. species of snake. Unlike most venomous snakes, copperheads give no warning signs and strike almost immediately if they feel threatened.

While their bite is very rarely (almost never) fatal to humans (small pets are a different matter), the bite often results in temporary tissue damage in the immediate area of bite, and secondary infection can sometimes occur.  Children and elderly and people with compromised immune systems may have strong reactions to the venom, however, and anyone who is bitten by a copperhead should always seek prompt medical attention.

Health Hazards: Please Don't Feed the Deer -- Commonly Mistaken Kindness

It's a Serious Health Problem for the Deer, and for Humans Too

How so; read the details below:

Many people are mortified to find out that by feeding deer their good intentions may have done more harm than good.

The root of this problem is that many people relate to deer as they relate to people. Seeing deer in the neighborhood during frigid temperatures, many of us imagine how we would feel, even though we are not deer ourselves.

They’ll Survive

White-tailed deer are well adapted to surviving during cold weather as well as year-round. They prepare in the summer and fall by eating more and adding layers of fat. When winter arrives, they become more sedentary, they eat less, and they use their stored fat. They have adequate supplies of natural food, including twigs, buds, and stems.

Those who feed large amounts of corn, especially in the winter, do the most damage because a deer's winter digestive system cannot handle a high carbohydrate diet such as corn.

Most Professional Wildlife Biologists Say Don’t Feed the Deer

Jerry Feaser, a spokesman for the Pennsylvania Game Commission (PGC) says: "In a perfect world, no one would feed deer. Period." Advice that is also shared by Dr. Anne Ballmann, veterinarian and wildlife disease specialist for the National Wildlife Health Center.

Furthermore, when we feed deer anything (not just corn), we cause them to burn extra calories to travel farther than they normally would. And they end up feeding and traveling together in larger groups. Dr. Ballmann warns that when deer feed in large groups competing for a limited food supply, they come in closer contact with one another and easily transmit diseases and parasites. If feeding locations are near busy roads (as they would be here in the village), more deer are hit and killed by traffic.

Remember that food is a deer magnet, with serious health hazards embedded for the deer, and for humans too (since the deer leave their large supply of ticks, which are infected with Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever and Lyme Disease behind to bite humans). We already have a major problem with both tick-borne diseases in the village.

So here’s some advice collected on-line from a variety of professional wildlife biologists:

• If you’re offering day old bread and pastries, remember that although a variety of birds and mammals will eat these handouts, they just provide stomach-filling empty calories.

• Squirrels and birds are not ruminants, so corn does not affect their digestion the way it does deer.

• No one really knows how much corn is needed to induce metabolic acidosis in deer (a serious condition that occurs that produces excessive quantities of acid or when kidneys are not removing enough acid), but it occurs when they eat large amounts of corn and little or no "woody browse."

• In addition to eating what you're feeding them, deer will also eat the other vegetation that's in and near the feeding area. Too many deer eating vegetation in a small area can damage the plants in the area for years to come. When deer need those plants in coming years, the plants won't be there for them to eat.

• Even after winter is over, deer will often stay close to the area where you fed them instead of moving to their normal summer ranges. According to North Carolina State University, deer can cause significant damage to landscapes by browsing on a wide variety of plants, including trees, shrubs, and flowers, often leaving a ragged appearance due to their feeding habits; the most effective methods to manage deer issues in landscaping include selecting deer-resistant plants, utilizing fencing, applying repellents regularly, and monitoring access points to your property to deter deer entry; while no plant is completely deer-proof, choosing species that deer naturally dislike can significantly reduce damage.

The Bottom Line
Feeding deer is counter-intuitive. It's bad for deer, and bad for homeowners too. Feeding deer is primarily good for hunters, who use the food as bait.

Important NC Traffic Laws Applicable to Bicyclists and Motorists PART 1

Important NC Traffic Laws Applicable to Bicyclists PART 2

A bicyclist may use a full marked lane. “Bicyclists usually ride on the right side of the lane, but are entitled to use the full lane…. Drivers wishing to pass a bicyclist may do so only when there is abundant clearance and no oncoming traffic is in the opposing lane. When passing a bicyclist, always remember the bicyclist is entitled to use of the full lane.” – for important details, see this resource: North Carolina Driver’s Handbook, p.95.  

As of October 01st, 2016, and only if it is safe to pass, vehicles may legally cross over a solid yellow or white center line to pass cyclists. Drivers must allow 4 feet between their vehicle and the cyclist(s). Failure to do so will be considered to be an act of reckless driving, a serious chargeable offense under North Carolina Law.

Bicyclists are Drivers of Vehicles

§ 20-4.01(49) Vehicle. – …for the purposes of this Chapter bicycles shall be deemed vehicles and every rider of a bicycle upon a highway shall be subject to the provisions of this Chapter applicable to the driver of a vehicle except those which by their nature can have no application.

As drivers of vehicles, bicyclists are allowed to travel on all public roadways except fully controlled access highways (freeways) such as interstates. NCAC 19A.2E.0409 OPERATING NONMOTORIZED VEHICLES: It is unlawful for any person to ride any animal, or to operate a bicycle or horse drawn wagon or any nonmotorized vehicle or moped on any interstate or other fully controlled access highway.

A Recent Change in Sheriff Deputies Serving the Village

Lt. Luke Scala Now Overseeing the Patrol Division

Effective July 16th, Lieutenant Luke Scala (shown on the left), who had served as our most recent main Chatham County Sheriff's community deputy, was moved into a new position in the department assuming the role of Lieutenant over the Patrol Division.

In his new role, he will be back out on the road with first responders. 

Luke has done a top-notch job serving as our main community officer since last fall, as well as providing such service to some 150 other communities in the county. 

He will still be in the village from time to time as part of his patrol supervision and tour duties.   

Lieutenant Phillip Richard has assumed Luke's former supervisory role over the Community Service Division, and Deputies Sara Pack and Jonathan Hensley will serve as our Community Service Coordinators/Community Watch liaisons. We'll post photos as they become available.

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New Light on Deer-Borne Tick Lyme Disease

Visiting physician sheds new light on Lyme disease - Martha's Vineyard Times