USACE released its updated Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) last week. It added to a past report from September of 2025 that drew pushback and complaints from local environmental advocates and the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality.
The new report accounts for PFAS contamination, which hadn’t been deeply considered in the September report. Environmental advocates worry PFAS chemicals from the Chemours plant upstream could be stirred up when sediment is dredged.
In the new EIS, PFAS is listed as an unresolved issue. USACE said, “Known contamination exists upstream, but it is not known if the sediment proposed to be dredged is contaminated.”
The report also said, “No applicable Federal and state standards or regulations for PFAS concentrations in sediment are available. The proposed project is not expected to contribute to PFAS contamination or impact drinking water contaminant concentrations.”
The EIS acknowledged that much is still unknown about PFAS chemicals, but said the sediment will be tested in accordance with all existing standards. If new standards are developed, USACE said it will follow those.
Next, there is a 30-day waiting period, while other agencies review final documentation – although this is not a public comment period. The dredging project will then go to the Assistant Secretary of the Army for Civil Works for final approval. While the project doesn’t need to be approved by the state, it does require state funding to go forward. North Carolina has yet to officially allocate money for it.
The full Environmental Impact Statement can be read here.