Commitment to Safety, Community Remains Key to Huntersville Site Work

In August 2020, Colonial teams began work to address a product release from one of our main pipelines in Huntersville, NC, just north of Charlotte.

The look of the site today has changed since then, with green grass, wildflowers, and other plantings having replaced much of our equipment and work trailers.

“What has not changed is our commitment to safely and effectively remediating the site, engaging with the community that we’ve been a part of for more than 60 years, and continuing to work closely with environmental agencies, regulators, and local leaders,” said Colonial President and CEO Melanie Little.

Our approach to this work remains grounded in science as we safely execute on our agency-approved cleanup plans to contain the impacted area and efficiently recover petroleum product.

Our work with agencies such as the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality (NCDEQ), and Health and Human Services, Mecklenburg County Park & Recreation and Air Quality, and the Town of Huntersville includes regular testing and analysis of private and public water supply wells, review of data and site progress by outside third-party experts, and quarterly reporting to the state.

To date, there have been no detections of petroleum products above applicable standards in active drinking supply wells and no impacts to nearby streams.

We’ve also focused on being a trusted partner in the community. Last year, Discovery Place Kids in Huntersville opened a new Growing Garden exhibit, supported by Colonial, that features hands-on learning activities centered on teaching “what’s underground,” safe digging and planting, and pollinators. As part of a larger agreement with Mecklenburg County, we also secured and donated 30 acres of protected land to the county.

“We’re committed to safely protecting human health and the environment and securing the trust of this community,” Ms. Little said. “These priorities guide our day-to-day operations as a company and our activities in Huntersville.”