Chatham commissioners defer decision on Sam’s Express car wash pump-and-haul waiver after residents raise noise, traffic and water concerns

Chatham County commissioners on Monday delayed a decision on a waiver request that would allow a proposed Sam’s Express car wash at the Briar Chapel area to use a pump-and-haul system to remove industrial process wastewater.

The proposal, presented to the board as a waiver under the Briar Chapel/Compact Communities Ordinance, drew more than a dozen residents who said the car wash would create chronic noise, light pollution, more traffic on U.S. 15-501, and an ongoing stream of tanker trucks hauling wastewater. Neighbors told the board they had not been given adequate information about the chemicals involved, the expected hauling frequency and routes, and long-term environmental risks to nearby streams that flow toward Jordan Lake.

The questions mattered because of the site’s location and the ordinance that applies there. County planning staff explained that Briar Chapel properties are normally required to connect to a centralized wastewater system; the developer and owner of that system, Old North State, declined to accept the car wash’s industrial wastewater unless it modifies its state permit. The applicant therefore proposed pump-and-haul — sending treated overflow and settled waste off-site to a third-party processor permitted by the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality (NCDEQ).

Why it matters: residents stressed that pump-and-haul would bring frequent heavy trucks into a constrained shopping-center lot next to long-established homes in Farrington Village, magnifying safety and noise concerns already associated with backups on the 15-501 corridor. Neighbors also cited prior local incidents involving the contracted hauler’s corporate footprint and urged the board to consider alternatives that would avoid weekly or near-weekly tanker access in a tight, mixed-use area.

What staff and the applicant said: planning staff and the applicant described the proposed site plan, water-reclamation process and regulatory controls. The applicant said the chain reuses most wash water on-site and that the volume requiring off-site hauling is relatively small at each pumping event; they pointed to existing operations in other markets and stated pump-and-haul is regulated by NCDEQ and by the receiving facility. County staff said the Compact Communities waiver process is discretionary for the board and that similar waivers have been considered in the past.

Numbers and specifics from the record: public commenters supplied different estimates that the county has not independently verified: opponents cited figures in the 1.7–1.82 million gallons per year range and described proposed hauling with 5,000-gallon tanker trucks arriving multiple times per week; the applicant said routine pumping intervals at comparable sites range from monthly to quarterly, but acknowledged that a facility without sewer access could require much more frequent pumping (the applicant estimated the location could need much more frequent service than its sewered sites).

Board action: after more than two hours of public comment and applicant presentation, a commissioner moved to continue the waiver request to the next board meeting to allow staff to gather additional information and for the board to review further details. The board agreed to continue the matter.

What’s next: the item will return on a subsequent board agenda. The applicant and county staff indicated they will provide further documentation on pump-and-haul logistics, chemical inventories, NCDEQ permitting steps, hauling destinations and schedules, and any alternatives for sewer connection.

Ending: neighbors said they will return to the board with more evidence if the applicant pursues state permitting; the board’s decision to delay leaves the car wash proposal unresolved pending those follow-up materials and additional review.