A hot button issue in the news right now is the disposal of coal ash within Chatham County North Carolina.
Coal ash is what’s left over after burning coal as a source of energy, and needs to be disposed of safely in order to protect both people and wildlife. Heavy metals, such as arsenic, lead, mercury, (and many more) are all found within coal ash, and are very dangerous to your health and well being. It’s no surprise than many people are uncomfortable with the presence of this waste product being disposed of within Chatham County. Citizens against the coal ash have also started this group: Chatham Citizens Against Coal Ash Dump.
The only current disposal site is located in Moncure in Southeast Chatham County, in an industrially zoned area. This area is also home to other industrial manufacturers, including a large brick plant, plywood plant, lumber mill, and even a nearby nuclear reactor.
Because this area is so heavily zoned for industrial purposes, there are no residential properties near by that “should be” directly affected. Even so, the perception of coal ash, and it’s proximity to the people living in the area, even at safe distances, is enough to negatively affect property value. Even the slim possibility of coal ash contaminating the ground water is enough to scare people. Those on municipal water have an even lower risk, but that does little to improve public opinion on the matter.
While coal ash presence has a negative impact on residential property value, surprisingly enough it may have a positive affect on near by land designated for other industrial uses. Anywhere coal ash is being disposed secures all surrounding areas as industrial zoned properties by default. This makes these tracts of land attractive for anyone in the market, knowing that any industrial facility is much more likely to be approved.
To learn more about land sales in the area please feel free to visit my page dedicated to Chatham County Land Sales.
