CHAPEL HILL, N.C.—The Town of Chapel Hill council has voted to move forward with a plan on building municipal government buildings on a site with toxic coal ash.
The site is on the current Chapel Hill Police Headquarters.
The vote was 7 to 1, with one vote against the development plan made by Town Council member Adam Searing, who wants the coal ash to be removed completely. The votes that were for moving ahead believe there will be no exposure once they are done with the creation of the buildings.
Communities arise with concerns for the coal ash still being there when construction starts because of the runoff could potentially go into Bolin Creek or the drinking water supply of Jordan Lake.
As of now, the council is exploring methods to contain the ash without removing it completely. They are also discussing a remediation plan, and the public will be allowed their input on the plan before it is finalized in the future.