State asks for more info about The Cliffs project

In an eight-page, Jan. 16 letter, the state Division of Water Quality requested more information from Don Nickell, the developer of The Cliffs at High Carolinas project in Fairview. DWQ has asked for disclosure of such details as what chemicals will be used for the golf course, how construction impacts on streams will be minimized, and what justification exists for some of the proposed culvert installations.

The information request addresses many of the concerns brought up by residents in a Nov. 18, 2008, public hearing, says Fairview homeowner François Manavit. “I am particularly happy about the disclosure of [golf-course] chemicals,” he says.

At the November hearing, Manavit and several other residents voiced concern about possible groundwater and trout-stream contamination from the herbicides, pesticides, fungicides and fertilizers that will be used for the proposed golf course. “They have also asked for more information about downstream impacts to water quality and trout habitat as a result of the culverting, which is another issue we raised,” says D.J. Gerken, a local attorney assisting residents in the issue.

The state has also asked for more information on a variety of issues, such as the location and depth of a proposed pond, an analysis of the cumulative effects of additional development projects — particularly with regard to water resources — and the justification for impacts on existing streams from such features as golf-cart crossings.

The Cliffs has 30 days to respond.

To view a copy of the letter, click here.

— Margaret V. Williams, contributing editor

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About Margaret Williams
Editor Margaret Williams first wrote for Xpress in 1994. An Alabama native, she has lived in Western North Carolina since 1987 and completed her Masters of Liberal Arts & Sciences from UNC-Asheville in 2016. Follow me @mvwilliams

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2 thoughts on “State asks for more info about The Cliffs project

  1. LOKEL

    Seems like it is bit late for an investigation since they have already altered at least 2 streams that I am aware of and there has been significant grading and slope modification.

    And since they keep the roads blocked, except for construction traffic, there is really no oversight …

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