State officials have directed Chemours to provide bottled water to 15 more well owners near the company’s Fayetteville facility after the most recent test results showed GenX above the provisional state health goal of 140 parts per trillion in their wells.
“Ensuring that North Carolinians have clean water continues to be our focus,” said Michael Regan, secretary of the N.C. Department of Environmental Quality.
Fifty residential well owners living near Chemours’ Fayetteville Works facility are receiving bottled water because of GenX detections above the provisional drinking water health goal established by the state Department of Health and Human Services.
DEQ and Chemours have sampled 128 residential wells since testing near the facility began in September. Of the 128 wells tested, 43 had detections of GenX below the health goal and 35 showed no detections of GenX.
DEQ continues to send all well owners the results of well testing and health and other information based on the results. Once a sample is collected, it takes about four to six weeks to receive, verify and distribute the results.
Chemours’ expanded sampling began Oct. 11. It is testing approximately 450 properties one mile from the property’s boundary to locate the edge of the contamination plume. DEQ will continue to receive and verify the results from Chemours’ sampling.
“Well water sampling will continue until we find where the contamination ends. We will do spot checks to verify Chemours’ results, and notify well owners of results as we receive them,” said Secretary Regan.
DEQ is in discussions with Chemours about longer-term water solutions for residents with affected wells, most of whom live north of the facility. Among the possibilities are installing home filter systems or connecting affected homes to an uncontaminated well source or a nearby public water supply. The state is coordinating with Bladen and Cumberland counties about waterline placement.
More information about the state’s ongoing testing and investigation of fluorinated compounds can be found at: https://deq.nc.gov/news/hot-topics/genx-investigation.
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