Harrisburg’s town manager said there are concerns about the potential harm to the local environment, economy, and public health.
HARRISBURG, N.C. — The town of Harrisburg is at the center of a heated debate over a proposal to construct a chemical waste landfill.
Venator Chemicals is requesting to build the landfill at its site on Pharr Mill Road, and it’s sparked concern from local leaders.
Harrisburg’s town manager, Rob Donham, and other town officials have made their stance clear — they strongly oppose the landfill project.
“The town is opposing the approval of this chemical byproduct landfill in our town,” Donham said in a statement. “Harrisburg already has one landfill under a notice of violation by the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality. Allowing another landfill at a site operated by a company with its own violations does not meet the health, safety, and welfare standards required for such a request.”
Donham also emphasized the proposed landfill is incompatible with the residential areas near Shamrock Road and Pharr Mill Road.
He said there are concerns about the potential harm to the local environment, economy, and public health.
“There are safer, cleaner, and more sustainable alternatives for disposing of this industrial waste, and we urge the applicant to pursue those options instead of constructing a landfill in Harrisburg,” Donham said.
The decision is in the hands of the town’s Board of Adjustment, a five-member independent panel separate from the Town Council. The board will review the proposal and consider public input before making its decision in February.
A public hearing is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 15 at the Venture Church Auditorium on Main Street.
The town is urging residents to attend the hearing in person, emphasizing that emails or calls to town officials will not influence the board’s decision.
Contact Destiny Richards at drichards5@wcnc.com and follow her on Facebook, X and Instagram.
