The North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality’s Division of Water Resources (DWR) will hold a public hearing on August 19 to gather public input on the draft renewal permit for Badin Business Park, formerly known as Alcoa Badin Works. The facility, located in Stanly County, was an aluminum products plant that closed in 2010.
The hearing is scheduled for Tuesday, August 19, 2025, at 6 p.m. at the Gene McIntyre Meeting Room in Stanly County Commons, Albemarle. Speaker registration begins onsite at 5:30 p.m.
Although operations at the site have ceased, DWR continues to regulate groundwater and stormwater discharges from the property under a National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit (No. NC0004308). The current permit was last issued in 2019 and remains in effect until it is renewed. Under this permit, Badin Business Park must meet existing discharge limits.
According to DWR, “DWR’s proposed permit will continue to require Badin Business Park to monitor for pollutants at certain outfalls, or discharge points, to have results tested at a laboratory certified by DWR, and to report those findings to DWR.”
The draft renewal includes new monitoring requirements for polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), and metals at several outfalls that discharge into a tributary of Little Mountain Creek and into Badin Lake.
Draft documents related to the wastewater permit are available online through Public Notices as well as NCDEQ’s Laserfiche document repository. Printed copies can be reviewed by appointment at the Mooresville Regional Office. To schedule an appointment, individuals should contact Andrew Pitner at 704-235-2100.
Members of the public may submit comments verbally during the hearing or provide written feedback by mail or email until August 20. Written comments should be addressed to Derek Denard with NPDES Wastewater Permitting in Raleigh or sent via email to publiccomments@deq.nc.gov with “Badin Business Park Permit” in the subject line. Comments can also be left by voicemail at 919-707-8448; email submissions are accepted until 5 p.m., August 20.
“All comments will be considered in the final determination regarding permit issuance and permit provisions,” according to DWR.
