Asbestos Projects

In response to community concerns at the January 2020 meeting, DEQ and EPA have expanded the asbestos-soil sampling area in the neighborhood surrounding the former Carolina Asbestos Company. The free soil sampling is for properties not sampled by EPA in 2017 that are located within the expanded sampling area. The area is shown in orange on the map. 

The samples will be taken outside, and homeowners do not have to be present for sampling to occur. Homeowners will receive results once the laboratory analysis is complete. If needed, the DEQ and EPA will work with property owners to do further tests and, if necessary, remove asbestos-containing material from those properties that test above the EPA’s health-based exposure limit. The expanded sampling area may be modified in the future based on data collected over the coming months.

View this information on NCDEQ's website here.

The DEQ's department’s Division of Waste Management hosted a public information meeting on January 13, 2020, presented a plan to manage the asbestos issue and promote awareness in the community, proposing an “Asbestos Watch Area” to monitor and manage soil disturbances in the neighborhood. The ‘asbestos watch area’ would define an area where residents would be advised to consult with state or local officials before digging or demolition.

The plan is designed to provide a network of professionals who can help residents identify and manage any risks of asbestos that might be buried on their property. Town planners would flag any projects in the zone for special attention. The watch area designation would appear in county land records, so any future buyers would be warned ahead of time of possible asbestos. It’s a form of notice that would not attach warnings and land use restrictions to individual deeds; both of which would require signed consent by each property owner.

January 2020 presentation

During that meeting, residents asked for more sampling over a larger area and sampling of properties that were not tested in 2017.

View this information on NCDEQ's website here.

The Division of Waste Management and Department of Health and Human Services' (DHHS) Health Hazards Control Unit have been coordinating with other state and local government agencies to manage risks at four different ongoing public works projects in the area surrounding the 301 Depot Street property. These projects are: 

• a Department of Transportation (DOT) road construction project,
• a Charlotte Mecklenburg water main project, and recently,
• a Town of Davidson sidewalk construction and park improvements

View this information on NCDEQ's website here.