Taken by Charles and Dawn McGinnis following a storm in 2023.
Provided courtesy of Charles and Dawn McGinnis
Image of the particles observed by Bob Johnson following Tropical Storm Debby
Provided courtesy of Bob Johnson
Taken by Charles and Dawn McGinnis following a storm in 2023.
Provided courtesy of Charles and Dawn McGinnis
POLKTON — When Tropical Storm Debby came through Anson County last week, some residents noticed white cotton-like particles appearing on the surface of Brown Creek.
Photographing the particles floating in the water, resident Bob Johnson contacted local commissioners’ Jamie Caudle and JD Bricken, County Manager Leonard Sossaman, Tyler Fitzgerald with Waste Connections, and NC Department of Environmental Quality’s Jason Watkins via email.
Johnson stated he took the pictures at 4 p.m. on August 8.
Not believing his observation to be normal for Brown Creek, Johnson stated, “Along with the white puffy particles, there are small white particles swirling en mass in the current.”
Johnson described the particles as a “synthetic-like” material the color of cotton. He noted seeing areas of small particles that looked similar in appearance to powder. Living about a mile from Brown Creek for the last 76 years, Johnson is emphatic in his belief the particles do not look consistent with the natural foam he has seen commonly kicked up by fast moving waters, such as after a storm.
Polkton residents Charles and Dawn McGinnis also expressed concern. The McGinnis’ provided photographs taken following a storm from a year earlier, also depicting mysterious debris floating in the water of Brown Creek to the Anson Record.
Responding to Johnson’s concerns via email, Commissioner JD Bricken issued the following statement, “By no means am I attempting to explain the current condition of Brown Creek. However, it is not uncommon to see foam on the surface of rivers and creeks after a major rain event.”
Bricken provided an image of the described foam for Johnson.
