A recent sample found an increase of the chemical 1,4-Dioxane in Hasketts Creek. It connects to the Deep River within the Cape Fear River Basin, which provides drinking water to around 900,000 people downstream. The North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality says the chemical concentration is 91 times the safe monthly average.
This isn’t the first time the treatment plant has caused elevated levels of 1,4-Dioxane. That’s what led environmental advocacy groups to sue the city of Asheboro last year. Jean Zhuang, a senior attorney at the Southern Environmental Law Center, says Asheboro should hold industries causing pollution responsible.
"Asheboro has a huge role to play here," Zhuang says. "They own and operate this wastewater treatment plant. They have the ability to stop this pollution."
In 2023, the DEQ's Division of Water Resources limited the amount of 1,4-Dioxane Asheboro could release. The city has pushed to remove the limit, but it remains in place until the case can be heard by the Court of Appeals.