With word that the Environmental Protection Agency has completed its investigation of the Orange County Planning Department, County Attorney John Roberts last week gave County Commissioners permission to restart talks about a plan to bring sewer service to the Historic Rogers Road community.

Roberts had previously advised the Board of Commissioners to hold off on discussing the sewer extension while the EPA looked into claims that the planning department had discriminated against the predominantly black neighborhood by failing to apply for grant money to fund new infrastructure.

Chapel Hill, Carrboro and Orange County are planning to split the cost of the $5.8 million dollar sewer project, but discussion of how county leaders would chip in has been stalled during the EPA’s investigation.

Now that the year-long investigation is complete, commissioners can move forward with the remediation plan for the neighborhood that’s lived with the landfill for four decades. While Roberts said the board is now free to discuss funding for the sewer plan, he did urge caution, noting the results of the investigation have yet to be released.

It’s not clear when the EPA will announce its findings, but county officials say they anticipate that the full report will be released soon.