Mecklenburg sounds off 

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CL response: According to MCWQP's Water Quality Work Plan for July 1, 2000 through June 30, 2002, MCWQP can "contact MRO (the Mooresville Regional Office) to discuss potential enforcement actions." According to the plan, when incidents are reported by citizens, MCWQP "may determine that potential environmental impacts are minimal or nonexistent." Spill cases often have been closed at the county level, as indicated on its spill reports, we assume with state permission. We'll have to take their word for it that the state told them by phone that they should close the report, since this is rarely indicated in the county reports. Either way, the article was not inaccurate on this point.

More importantly, MCQWP's response avoids the point of the section of the story in question -- namely, that spill cases in which dangerous levels of pathogenic bacteria in the county's waters have been routinely closed, even when the spill violates the state's enforcement guidelines.

* Creative Loafing Article:

"One problem. No one ever clarified what evidence the county's environmental hygienist would collect, after which spills they would collect it, or what they would do with it. The level of communication is so bad, in fact, that most of the middle and lower level environmental staff members CL spoke to - the folks on the ground investigating and documenting these spills - were unaware of the existence, much less the importance of the enforcement guidelines that are supposed to govern the job they perform. That creates a situation akin to traffic cops being asked to do their jobs without ever having learned state driving laws." Page 26 - Columns 2 and 3 - Paragraph 4

MCWQP Response:

When conducting her research for this article, Ms. Servatius, spoke only with John McCulloch (Water Quality Supervisor), Rusty Rozzelle (Water Quality Program Manager), Alan Giles (Public Information Specialist), and Derrick Harris (Environmental Hygienist II) of the MCWQP. She did not speak with or interview any of our environmental hygienist ("the folks on the ground investigating and documenting these spills") regarding spill procedures as she reports in her article.

CL response: John McCulloch, who was a very helpful and concerned resource for this article, was interviewed specifically because he is both a supervisor and is one of "the folks on the ground. . ." We thus got the necessary information from someone who could speak from both positions.

MCWQP Response (cont.):

2) The MCWQP has an excellent relationship with the North Carolina Division of Water Quality (DWQ) in Mooresville. Our Memorandum of Agreement has been in place since 1986. MCWQP staff communicate with DWQ staff on an as needed basis which normally includes daily or at least weekly phone calls and emails. The expectations and responsibilities of both the DWQ and the MCWQP are very clear through both our Memorandum of Agreement and frequent correspondence. Since each spill situation is different, these communications between agencies are essential in determining how to proceed with sewage spills and the numerous other issues with which we deal. All MCWQP staff are very familiar with all State enforcement guidelines.

CL response: This is a matter of opinion, not of fact. Whether the relationship between the two agencies is good or not is irrelevant to the fact that the combined efforts of the two agencies to hold all sewage spillers responsible for the messes they've created has yielded exactly zero fines for the 815 spills by CMU in the past three years. This was the point of the article, a point which neither MCWQP nor NCDENR has denied or explained.

* Creative Loafing Article:

"John McCulloch, one of three water quality supervisors at MCWQP, said he was unfamiliar with the water quality guidelines when asked about them by CL. Without a working knowledge of the guidelines which the county has agreed to help the state enforce, county environmental hygienists investigating these spills wouldn't know what evidence would be needed to recommend a fine for a spiller, or the importance of documenting the damage done by the spills." Page 26 - Column 3 - Paragraph 2

MCWQP Response:

When Ms. Servatius was asking Mr. McCulloch about the water quality guidelines, she indicated that she was referring to a document. Mr. McCulloch stated that he was unaware of any document entitled " The Water Quality Guidelines." Mr. McCulloch asked Ms. Servatius to describe the content of this document, whether it included state water quality standards, administrative codes, or whether the document might commonly be known by any other name. She could not provide any additional information and continued to refer to this document as "The Water Quality Guidelines."