"If you're on the east side of town tonight what you're smelling tonight is Cone Mills. They've had another "spill."
Interesting enough, these "spills" most often happen on holiday weekends when no state and federal inspectors are likely to be in town with the closest NC DENR offices being Winston-Salem and Raleigh and the closest EPA office in Washington, DC.
The "spill" is at White Oak, dumps into the creek, flows past the White Street Landfill and into North Buffalo Creek where it eventually flows into the Haw River.
When the White Street Landfill was open these "spills" were much more common.
I can smell it at my house, neighbors miles away from me are posting about it on Facebook as well."
I encourage you to click on the link and read it all.
Just after midnight this morning I confirmed that News 2 had been made aware in my post News 2 Kept It A Secret.
Of course, considering that News 2 is located between Cone Mills White Oak plant and the White Street Landfill it is hard to imagine they're not being aware when thousands of residents located within a mile or more of the station are suffering.
A little while ago I got the following update informing me that the State of North Carolina has been made aware:
"Just received a follow up phone call from Mr. Patrick Mitchell with NC DEQ, Div. of Water Quality Resources. He has stated there is NO spill report from White Oak Plant. He has forwarded my complaint to John Petrone and Jason Watkins at the Div. of Waste Mgt. Resources. They will possibly be contacting me as well. Patrick states that this may possibly be an issue with the landfill and the systems management of the methane gas which he is aware is given to White Oak. I have assured him that I am aware that I am upwind of the natural wind patterns that would cause me to smell the landfill and I have assured him that this odor should be investigated as a direct link to White Oak which has been unreported repeatedly. He will get back with me and I can also expect a call from Waste Mgt. My biggest concern which I shared with Patrick is the environmental impact on our air, ground and water AND the possible conflict of interest between the City of Greensboro and White Oak may have where it concerns our environment and their dealings concerning this issue. I have made a serious implication that this may be a conspiracy to hide a reportable offense. My theory is supported by the lack of media coverage concerning this event."
And still our media isn't talking.
Well here's something else they've never talked about. It might not be Cone Mills. When the City of Greensboro built the Osborne Waste Water Treatment Plant in McLeansville they installed a solid waste discharge pipe leading westward to the White Street Landfill with the plan being to bury the solid waste in the landfill. That, my friends, was the source of most of the odor coming from the landfill.
Now should the City start pointing fingers at Cone Mills the situation gets very messy as Cone Mills pays Don Vaughan (husband of Mayor Nancy Barakat "Grasshopper" Vaughan) $20,000 a month to represent Cone Mills as Cone's corporate attorney. It was Don Vaughan who brokered the free methane deal to Cone while he and wife Nancy were both seated on City Council. And should the media point a finger at Cone and the problem actually be the City of Greensboro then the shit really hits the fan as the smell was the excuse that was used to close the White Street Landfill.
The landfill has been closed for years. East Greensboro is still living with the stench. It's time this ended once and for all.
And it's time our media reported the issues that effect our community.
