Some Sunset Park residents not satisfied with NC DEQ statement on dust pollution
WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) — Some Wilmington residents are not satisfied by a response from state officials about the source of sawdust polluting their neighborhood.
Enviva Biomass has operated a wood pellet manufacturing facility out of the port of Wilmington since 2016.
Many residents living in Sunset Park said that over the years sawdust that is coming off the facility has gotten worse, to the point that they’re finding it blanketing their homes, cars, and pets daily.
Residents filed multiple complaints with the NC Department of Environmental Quality, as well as with Enviva, but many said that little has been done to fix the problem.
The North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality’s Division of Air Quality issued a statement following community concerns in Sunset Park about dust pollution, stating quote:
“It seems like a lot of blame shifting has been happening between Enviva and Basaga now that Basaga opened up, and I’ll be the first to say it: I can see the difference,” said Sunset Park resident Dain Larson in response to the statement.
Larson claims there are two different general sizes of dust that are noticeable. Larson claims larger pieces of wood that can blow into the neighborhood may be coming from the Basaga facility; however, he believes the sawdust he sees on a near-daily basis is too small to come from Basaga.
This is also not the first time Enviva and the DEQ have been involved in an issue. A lawsuit against Enviva and the DEQ was settled in 2019 after concerned citizens filed suit claiming DEQ failed to address Enviva’s emission of air pollutants in Hamlet, NC.
