The Riverkeeper said it: "... the cumulative effect of too much litter in one watershed can also lead to pollution.”
This week I spoke with a Kinston resident. (Sanderson Farms opened its first NC chicken processing plant in Kinston in Jan. 2011.) This person told me that Sanderson proponents now are turning against the plant, seeing an increase in immigrants in the area and fearing further deterioration of Kinston's drinking water. This person said, in all fairness to Sanderson, that Kinston's water source (the Neuse) was saturated with nutrients before Sanderson came. The water requires alot of treatment so that it is drinkable, it is "brown" in a glass some days, and the water "cannot be used to clean open wounds." This person/family will not drink the water. They are considering moving from the area. Could this happen in Rocky Mount? Yes, if Sanderson - processing plant/sprayfields/hatchery/500 new chicken houses - degrade the Tar River and reservoir. This not as a scare tactic or "side show" as Commissioner Davis would have you believe. A city's access to abundant and clean water is precious, far more valuable and affecting more people than the promised 1,100 jobs.