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Raleigh-Durham International Airport is expanding, and so is its sediment-pollution problem.

“Basically, the RDU airport is expanding its parking area, and polluting two creeks on either side of the construction site, that both pour into Lake Crabtree less than a mile downstream,” said Neuse Riverkeeper Samantha Krop.

Aerial photos also show a pool of sediment-filled water next to U.S. Highway 40, which is not a designed sediment basin.

In early August, Samantha reported the issue to the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality, as did the Umstead Coalition, a nonprofit dedicated to preserving the natural integrity of William B. Umstead State Park and the Richland Creek Corridor, and residents witnessing the pollution.

NCDEQ’s Division of Energy, Mineral and Land Resources (DEMLR) which oversees sediment pollution controls on construction sites responded to Samantha’s report this week.

“Basically, they said the same thing that we’ve been hearing from them regarding the Moriah Energy Center site and the many housing developments under construction in the Lick Creek watershed, which is that everything on the construction site was in compliance — all sediment and erosion control measures were in place and functioning properly, so there was nothing in violation,” Samantha said. “They did note that they saw and acknowledged the offsite turbidity, but did not see sediment loss from the site, or ‘a plume.’

According to NCDEQ, as of last week, the contractor began using flocculant — a best management practice for reducing turbidity — silt socks and turbidity curtains, to reduce turbidity.

“It’s interesting that DEQ acknowledges that the turbidity is coming from the site, but at the same time, say there is no sediment leaving the site,” Samantha said.