Chemours directed to sample more private wells

Thousands of additional private drinking water wells throughout the Cape Fear region may be eligible for sampling by Chemours for PFAS contamination.

More than 14,100 additional residences on private wells in New Hanover, Brunswick, Columbus and Pender counties may now qualify for per- and polyfluoroalkyl sampling, a move the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality is enforcing after reviewing ongoing well monitoring results, floodplain maps and Chemours’ 2022 updated interim sampling and drinking water plan, according to a news release.

Sampling will occur only in private wells that are the residence’s primary drinking water source.

The updated sampling footprint includes:

• Wells within a quarter-mile of a floodplain buffer that includes the Intracoastal Waterway and portions of Cape Fear River tributaries.
• Residences with a quarter-mile of properties where well water has tested for contamination.
• Wells with a quarter-mile of public water lines.
• Additional requirements for land on which treated sewage sludge has been applied 

Those who have previously requested sampling and are now eligible under the testing expansion will be contacted soon, according to DEQ. 

Chemours is required under Consent Order to test qualifying private water wells for PFAS, which the company knowingly discharged for into the environment, including the Cape Fear River, a raw drinking water source for tens of thousands in the region, for decades.

The company is required to provide temporary drinking water supplies to households with wells that contain PFAS above concentrations established by environmental and health officials until a new, permanent supply, whether through a home filtration system or hook up to a public water system, is provided at the company’s expense.

For more information, visit DEQ’s website.