Cape Fear regional politicians present a "united front" against PFAS while meeting the DEQ

Representatives of the North Carolina DEQ came to Wilmington on Tuesday to share an update about the state of PFAS contamination in the Cape Fear River.

DEQ Secretary Michelle Biser said the plan Chemours had shared for testing wells in the Cape Fear Region for GenX is “insufficient,” and that DEQ is requiring the company to go back to the drawing board.

“We had that same concerns that many of you had, that the plan did not test enough wells fast enough,” Biser said, “and that Chemours can and should do more.”

Chemours has historically contaminated the Cape Fear River with GenX, and a quarter-million people downriver pull their drinking water from that source. Chemours was also forced by a consent order to provide bottled drinking water to residents with contaminated wells in the area around its plant in Fayetteville.

Proposed Barrier Wall

Now, as part of the ongoing efforts to limit GenX in the Cape Fear River, DEQ is requiring Chemours to build a barrier wall around the plant.

The barrier wall will be two or three feet thick, 6,000 feet long, and 60 to 80 feet deep. Water running through the contaminated earth beneath the plant will be captured in wells, then filtered by a Granular Activated Carbon filter until they reach 99% removal of PFAS, according to Julie Grzyb, the deputy director of DEQ Division of Water Resources.

That filter will get the groundwater to around 890 parts per trillion of total PFAS, she said, and then the filtered water will be discharged into the river.

Advocates and Politicians Push Back

Some politicians and activists at the presentation were perturbed to hear about a permit for Chemours that would allow discharges of such high levels of PFAS into the Cape Fear.

New Hanover County Commissioner Rob Zapple pointed out that the discharge permit is an increase in allowed PFAS going into the river.

“Why on earth would we allow that?” he asked.

But Biser responded that the discharge permit, which is currently up for public comment, will actually decrease the amount of PFAS currently entering the river.

“The draft permit and the proposed treatment system are addressing the largest remaining contribution of the PFAS in the Cape Fear River from the Chemours facility, which is the contaminated groundwater,” she said. The water will be captured in wells behind the barrier wall, treated, and then released, according to DEQ staff.

But advocates at Sothern Environmental Law Center say the permit is still too permissive. Other outfalls around the plant have been able to reduce their PFAS discharges to less than 50 PPT of PFAS, while this permit would allow, according to DEQ, more than 900 total parts per trillion.

“After all we have learned over the past five years, it is shocking that DEQ would draft a permit allowing Chemours to release any PFAS into the Cape Fear River, let alone at the levels allowable under this draft permit,” said Dana Sargent, executive director of Cape Fear River Watch. “We need DEQ to do its job and protect us from Chemours’ historic and consistent disregard for human health and the environment.”

The Other PFAS

Others were concerned about the seemingly exclusive focus on GenX and Chemours. Wilmington Mayor Bill Saffo asked about chemicals other than GenX, which are still untested.

“What will these do to my family?” he asked.

And State Rep. Deb Butler (D-Wilmington) asked about regulating PFAS categorically, rather than going one chemical at a time.

DEQ representatives did not address that specific request but instead pointed to the EPA as a source of regulation this year.

“We are anxiously awaiting the health advisory level EPA is coming out with this spring,” said state epidemiologist Zach Moore. “So that EPA health advisory level will then replace our existing provisional drinking water health goal.”

The state’s health advisory level for GenX is currently 140 ppt. Based on the EPA’s released data last fall, experts expect the new health advisory level to be closer to 3 or 4 ppt.

New Hanover County Commissioner Deb Hays said regional politicians are presenting a “united front” against Chemours, and said she supports DEQ in its actions. She also called the company out for its recent advertisements in the Cape Fear Region.

“I wasn't aware of the good neighbors tried to shift the blame and refused to clean up their mess until being forced,” Hays said. “They brag on television, about the neighborly actions, none of which they wanted to do.”

Hays stood with half a dozen other local politicians before the DEQ staff, including representatives for the city of Wilmington, New Hanover, and Brunswick counties.

Since DEQ has rejected Chemours’ plan for well testing in the region, the company has 45 days to come back with a plan which tests wells more quickly and more comprehensively. The six wells which have already been tested in the area — five in Wilmington and one in Hampstead — all came back negative for PFAS chemicals.

DEQ is accepting comments on the draft permit for the barrier wall and related filtering and wastewater release until May 2, 2022. To submit comments by email, send them to publiccomments@ncdenr.gov with CHEMOURS noted in the subject line. Public comments may also be mailed to Wastewater Permitting, Attn: Chemours Permit, 1617 Mail Service Center, Raleigh, N.C., 27699-1617.

The draft permit and fact sheet are available to view online.