New Maps Show Transco SSEP & Other Proposed Pipelines’ Threat to Drinking Water in North Carolina and Virginia

On Wednesday, August 27, Clean Water for North Carolina released new, interactive maps highlighting drinking water sources threatened by three proposed methane gas pipelines in North Carolina and Virginia. Transcontinental Gas Pipe Line Company’s proposed Southeast Supply Enhancement Project (SSEP) Pipeline, crossing through densely populated areas in Guilford and Forsyth Counties, poses the greatest threat to NC drinking water of the three. These maps provide the public with valuable information ahead of public hearings on whether the state should approve SSEP’s 401 water quality certification application. North Carolinians and Virginians near any of the proposed routes can use the maps to identify if their drinking water source is at risk of contamination due to pipeline impacts.

SSEP Pipeline is a proposed 42-inch diameter high-pressure, methane gas pipeline. It would cross multiple states, starting in Pittsylvania County, Virginia, and out to Coosa County, Alabama. 28.4 miles of new pipe are proposed for North Carolina in Rockingham, Guilford, Forsyth, and Davidson counties. It would require the expansion of two gas-fired compressor stations in Iredell and Davidson counties, which would produce air pollution.

SSEP’s proposed route puts it close to existing Transco pipelines. In Rockingham County, the pipeline would follow closely along the proposed route for Mountain Valley Pipeline Southgate, crossing many of the same waterways, also magnifying the potential for impacts to groundwater. The proposal to install multiple high-pressure, large-diameter pipelines on similar routes has inspired vocal opposition at public hearings. Guilford County passed a resolution citing safety concerns in response. The town of Midway passed a resolution of opposition in May.

Community members facing further land seizure by Transco for the SSEP, have expressed skepticism of their safety record and water pollution controls.

“I have lived with the three despicable Transco pipelines running through my farm and community for over 60 years. Now, Transco wants to install a fourth pipeline referred to as SSEP.” said, Ron Ray, a resident of Guilford County, “Beaver Creek runs over the pipelines on my farm and has always been a potential source of contamination for water running into the creek, rivers, and waters on to the Atlantic Ocean. The SSEP construction will certainly cause damage to these waterways  during construction and increase the risks of severe damage for generations to come.  I plead that this project be not permitted for the sake of the health and safety of future generations.”

Pollution from pipeline construction or leaks during operation can harm rivers, streams, public water supplies, and private wells all along the route. The pipelines are proposed near communities that have already suffered groundwater contamination from coal ash, in order to supply new gas turbines proposed by Duke Energy in Person and Catawba Counties.

“We released these maps to empower residents with information that often stays buried in long permit applications. That way, we can act to protect our communities. Private well users within 1000 ft of the proposed pipelines are at risk of contamination of their groundwater or even a decrease in water supply. These maps can help them identify if their wells are at risk.” said Steph Gans, Assistant Director of Clean Water for North Carolina,  “Clean water is not the only thing on the line. These pipelines would supply new power plants adding to unhealthy air in communities. They will increase already high gas and electric bills. They threaten drinking water supplies, which could raise water bills. Using methane will worsen climate change, which caused damaging storms like Hurricane Helene and Tropical Storm Chantal. Both storms imposed huge costs on local water utilities and left North Carolinians without clean drinking water for days or weeks.”

The maps show the threat to beloved local waterways across three watersheds: the Roanoke, Cape Fear, and Yadkin-Pee Dee. SSEP would cross the headwaters of the Haw River and the Dan River, which are sources of drinking water for NC communities. They show public water supplies from groundwater, some of which are perilously close to the SSEP pipeline’s route.

“Projects like this create irreparable damage on our sensitive aquatic ecosystems and pose serious risks for downstream communities that depend on our rivers and streams for drinking water supplies.” said Emily Sutton, Haw Riverkeeper and Executive Director of Haw River Assembly, “These maps help us to demonstrate the unavoidable damage the SSEP project would cause if these permits are approved. This is the opportunity for our communities to show up and have their voices heard to oppose this unnecessary pipeline.”

On Thursday, September 4 at 4:30pm, community members and grassroots organizations will hold: No SSEP! Rally to Protect Water in Harmon Park at 152 South Main Street, Kernersville, NC.

The rally will take place before a public hearing on SSEP’s water quality certification application held by the NC Department of Environmental Quality. The hearing starts at 6 p.m. in the Kernersville Municipal Council Chambers, 134 East Mountain Street, Kernersville, NC.

Private well users along the route welcomed the maps. “I’m glad this information will be available as I am definitely impacted by the proposed pipeline.” said Diana Garrison, a Guilford County resident, “I live in a neighborhood close to the pipeline, so all the homeowners’ wells are impacted by any leakage or seepage of toxins. Williams says they check to make sure their pipeline is safe, but we have yet to see anyone walking along pipeline in our area.”

To view interactive maps of the SSEP, MVP Southgate, and T-15 pipeline routes visit cwfnc.org/nc-pipelines. The maps use data from a variety of public sources, including FracTracker Alliance, a non-profit organization educating the public about the risks from oil and gas projects. The maps show public water supplies, land within 1000 ft of the proposed pipelines, the potential blast zone in the event of a pipeline accident, and drinking water sources at risk of pollution from all three pipelines.

This article was first published by Clean Water for NC.