Governor Roy Cooper will be in Wilmington Monday, to discuss how the state can help with the GenX situation. It’s been almost seven weeks since the public first learned about the discharge of GenX and other chemical compounds by the Chemours company, in the Cape Fear River.
Governor Cooper will meet at 9 a.m. today with local and state officials, county managers, and water system leaders, at the New Hanover County Government Center.
The Governor will be joined by state Department of Environmental Quality secretary Michael Regan, and Dr. Mandy Cohen, secretary of the state’s Department of Health and Human Services.
The meeting will be held behind closed doors. It will be followed by a public briefing.
Local leaders have been asking for state help in the matter for weeks.
Meanwhile on Friday, the Cape Fear Public Utility Authority reported that its latest water tests had seen levels of GenX creep upwards to above the DHHS health goal of 140 parts per trillion. There has been no explanation for the slight rise in levels last week.
Also last week, the CFPUA announced that its residential customers can fill containers at New Hanover County’s Ogden Park, for free. This is available daily from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.
State officials continue to collect water samples, with samples being tested at an EPA lab in North Carolina and a private lab in Colorado.