At least 2.5 million North Carolinians have drinking water contaminated with harmful chemicals known as PFAS, according to a new report.
"I don't want everyday people to have to bear the burden of this when we know that there are companies that have put these pollutants in the water and we know we've got to clean it up," Governor Roy Cooper said.
PFAS are a group of man-made chemicals used in many products, including nonstick cookware and stain repellents. They are linked to serious health problems, such as cancer, immune system problems, and reproductive issues.
These "forever chemicals" do not break down in the environment and can build up in the body over time.
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recently set new limits on the amount of PFAS allowed in drinking water, with the aim of protecting public health.
An analysis by the Environmental Working Group (EWG) found that many public water systems in North Carolina have PFAS levels exceeding the new EPA limits, exposing millions of people in the state to the harmful chemicals.
According to the EWG report, some of the largest utilities in the state are dealing with PFAS levels above the EPA’s new standards including Piedmont Triad Regional Water Authority, City of Durham, City of Greensboro, Fayetteville Public Works Commission, and Brunswick County Public Utilities.
The Robeson County Water System, which serves 64,000 residents, found some of the highest levels of PFAS in the state, including PFOS at 30 ppt and GenX at 33 ppt – both well above the new drinking water standards.
The Orange Water and Sewer Authority found 11 PFAS in one of its reservoirs. The utility serves more than 80,000 residents in the towns of Chapel Hill, home of the main University of North Carolina campus, Carrboro and parts of Orange County. It began monitoring PFAS levels in 2018. Upgrades to its treatment system to reduce PFAS in finished drinking water began in 2023.
In upstream Burlington, high levels of PFAS were detected in the city’s drinking water as well as wastewater entering the Haw River, likely due to industrial pollution. As a result of pressure and lawsuits from local activists, the city worked to identify Elevate Textiles to be a significant contributor to the PFAS in the city’s drinking water
"Now's the time to make sure that all of these water systems have the filters and technology that they need to make sure that people have clean water," Cooper said. "And now it's time to make the polluters pay," he added.
This week marks the seventh anniversary of when the public learned that forever chemicals, including GenX, had been dumped into the Cape Fear River from the Chemours Fayetteville works chemical plant.
According to another EWG analysis, there are at least 66 electroplating facilities and 50 chemical manufacturers in the state that could be sources of PFAS. In total, the state is home to 736 suspected industrial PFAS dischargers. Firefighting foam used near military facilities and airports, along with spreading wastewater sludge and textile manufacturing, may also be sources of pollution.
After the EPA set federal drinking water limits for PFAS, the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) proposed limits on the amount of PFAS pollution that companies could leech into the ground and surface water.
"Put simply, the less contamination that goes into a water supply, the less effort and expense required to take it out before it reaches a resident's faucet," said DEQ Secretary Elizabeth Biser.
Last month, the North Carolina Environmental Management Commission (EMC) declined to start the rulemaking process for PFAS pollution standards Wednesday, after Republican-appointed EMC members Tim Baumgartner and Joseph Reardon stalled a vote.
The delay comes after the NC Chamber sent a letter to Biser pushing back against the proposed limits. The NC Chamber did not respond to questions about financial support from manufacturers of PFAS.
"It's important that we make sure that our water is clean and it's important that polluters pay for it," Cooper said. "I hope that the Chamber will reconsider this and that the Environmental Management Commission will go ahead and approve these new rules."
The Environmental Management Commission meets again on July 10, 2024. The public can join in-person at 512 N. Salisbury St, Raleigh, NC or online.
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- EPA reverses decision to allow Chemours to import GenX waste from the Netherlands to NC
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