Public hearings will be held next month on a state draft discharge permit for Chemours’ proposed groundwater treatment system at its Fayetteville Works facility.
Contaminated groundwater is flowing from the Bladen County-based plant into the Cape Fear River, a drinking water source for tens of thousands of people who live down river in Columbus, Pender, Brunswick and New Hanover counties.
Supporter Spotlight
Under the 2022 addendum to a consent order with the N.C. Department of Environmental Quality and Cape Fear River Watch, Chemours must install a more-than-mile-long underground barrier wall parallel to the river to intercept contaminated groundwater.
The groundwater will be collected through a series of extraction wells and pumped to a wastewater treatment system.
The draft state wastewater permit under the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System, or NPDES, requires the treatment system remove at least 99% of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS, from entering the Cape Fear River.
PFAS are a group of thousands of synthetic compounds widely used in a variety of consumer products, including nonstick cookware, firefighting foam, water-repellent clothing, lubricants, stain-resistant carpets, paints, cosmetics and fast-food packaging.
Research is being conducted to try and understand possible health implications associated with ingesting and breaking down these forever chemicals.
North Carolina-based research indicates at least some PFAS affects immune systems, but thousands of the compounds have yet to be studied.
Supporter Spotlight
The Division of Water Resources is holding an in-person public hearing on the draft NPDES permit at 6 p.m. June 21 at Cape Fear Community College, Union Station, first floor auditorium, 411 N. Front St., Wilmington. Speaker registration opens at 5 p.m.
An online meeting will be held at 6 p.m., June 23. Log on to https://ncdenrits.webex.com/ncdenrits/onstage/g.php?MTID=e6a3cebefc6af2776f229c3d4f2c74da9. The event number is 2421 589 1484 and the password is NCDEQ. Participants may also phone in by dialing +1-415-655-0003, Access code: 2421 589 1484. Speakers may register by noon June 23 at https://forms.office.com/g/YEqDLDDDp7
Contact Peter Johnston if you have issues registering online at 919-707-9011 or email peter.johnston@ncdenr.gov.
The division is accepting comments on the proposed permit through 5 p.m. June 24 by email to publiccomments@ncdenr.gov with CHEMOURS noted in the subject line or by mail to Wastewater Permitting, Attn: Chemours Permit, 1617 Mail Service Center, Raleigh, NC 27699-1617.
You do not need to resubmit comments if you sent them in during the previous comment period between March 25 and May 2.
