State officials have directed Chemours to provide bottled water to eight more well owners near the company’s Fayetteville Works facility after new preliminary test results show GenX above the state health goal in residential drinking wells.
That brings to 19 the total number of residential well owners living near Chemours’ Fayetteville Works facility that are receiving bottled water because of GenX detections above the provisional state health goal of 140 parts per trillion. The state had directed Chemours to provide bottled water to 11 well owners earlier this month after the company’s preliminary tests showed GenX above the state’s provisional health goal. Testing of residential wells by Chemours and the state started soon after GenX was detected in 13 industrial, non-drinking water wells on the facility’s property.
To help people better understand the ongoing testing, the state departments of Environmental Quality and Health and Human Services have scheduled a community information session from 6-7:30 p.m. Oct. 5. The information session will be in the gymnasium of Gray’s Creek Elementary School, 2964 School Road, Hope Mills. It is the second information session state officials have hosted to answer peoples’ questions about private well testing near the facility.
“We are making sure everyone relying on private wells found to have high levels of fluorinated compounds has been supplied with bottled water,” said Michael Regan, secretary of the N.C. Department of Environmental Quality. “People deserve to know their water is safe, and we will continue to test residential wells near the facility and to communicate those results and what they mean to people in the community.”
Chemours is testing residential drinking water wells near the facility for GenX. DEQ is also testing residential wells; in addition to testing for GenX, the state agency is also testing for two other fluorinated compounds, PFOA and PFOS. The state agency is testing for the three fluorinated compounds because they all have established health goals.
The company’s latest preliminary results, received Tuesday, showed GenX in seven new wells.
DEQ began collecting water samples for testing from 34 residential drinking water wells near the facility on Sept. 15. On Tuesday, DEQ received preliminary results for the first seven wells the state agency tested. The state had test results that showed GenX above the health goal in two wells, including one well that had already been tested and identified through results from Chemours that DEQ reported earlier this month. Four residential wells had detections of GenX below the health goal, and one did not detect GenX. None of the seven wells had exceedances of PFOS or PFOA; however, one or both compounds were detected in three wells.
Chemours’ latest preliminary test results show GenX was detected at levels below the provisional state health goal in two wells; it was not detected in three residential wells.
Some of the wells serve multiple residences, and all homeowners with GenX above the provisional state health goal have been provided bottled water. Most of the wells with elevated levels of GenX are north of the facility. The state’s and company’s test results have not been validated.
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.
# # #