The public will soon be able to lodge their comments about proposed rules mandating that public sewer plants test their treated discharge into rivers, creeks and streams for three types of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances and a chemical solvent.
pollution
Opponents say river water transfer puts Cape Fear in peril
Fuquay-Varina seeks to transfer 6.17 million gallons per day from the Cape Fear River Basin to the Neuse River Basin to meet the Piedmont town’s projected water demands.
Chemours cannot keep documents sealed, federal judge rules
Chemours and its predecessor company DuPont had sought to seal records including regulatory compliance monitoring reports and internal corporate communications about chemical production.
EPA seeks reporting rollback as new study finds hidden PFAS
The EPA says the change will cut red tape, but new research suggests regulators may already be missing major sources of contamination.
Port’s Cape Fear dredge project fails taxpayers, environment
Guest commentary: Deepening the Cape Fear River will only worsen flooding around the downtown Wilmington waterfront and the North Carolina Battleship site and lead to a substantial loss of vital wetlands and floodplains.
Chemours is doubling down on its toxic history: NRDC
Chemours is not a company that can be trusted to expand its operations responsibly, and it’s an example of the national PFAS pollution crisis, writes Drew Ball of the Natural Resources Defense Council.
Vast majority of litter removed from streams is plastic: Study
A three-year study recently published in the journal Community Science finds that about 96% of litter North Carolina waterkeeper organizations and their volunteers removed from trash traps were plastics.
Critics say law will derail health, environmental rulemaking
House Bill 402, which became law this past summer despite the governor’s veto, has drawn sharp criticism from environmental and health advocates who argue it will stifle an already daunting rulemaking process and create significant obstacles to addressing pollution.
Corps awards contract for second phase of Buxton cleanup
The Army Corps of Engineers’ Savannah District has awarded a contract for the second phase of cleanup at the former Buxton Naval Facility site in Dare County.
EPA sets hearing on Asheboro’s proposed discharge permit
The Environmental Protection Agency is holding the public hearing on a proposed permit for the city’s wastewater treatment plant, which dumps high levels of 1,4-dioxane waste and is upstream of municipal drinking water customers in Brunswick, New Hanover and Pender counties.
No sign of petroleum detected at Buxton during beach visit
Army Corps of Engineers, the Corps’ Savannah District commander, members of the Formerly Used Defense Sites, or FUDS, Program team, National Park Service officials, Dare County commissioners and Bay West contractors assessed damage from Hurricane Erin.
Pump power failure leads to wastewater spill in Calabash River
Brunswick County Public Utilities officials believe about 1,100 gallons of untreated wastewater discharged into the Calabash River after one of the utilities’ pump stations experienced a power failure on Monday.
Waves again reveal Buxton pollution; Corps vows removal
“We are dedicated to finding the petroleum contamination and removing it,” said Army Corps of Engineers District Commander Col. Ron Sturgeon earlier this week.
More than $240M awarded for water, wastewater upgrades
Drinking water and wastewater infrastructure improvement projects in a handful of coastal counties are among 48 projects selected to receive funding grants.
Work at Navassa Kerr-McGee site to take longer than planned
Crews have found “an extensive amount” of debris, including unanticipated contamination, meaning more cleanup time is needed for a 16-acre unit of the federal Superfund site long home to a wood-treatment operation.
Buxton site restoration advisory board to meet July 17
Gayle Garland, the Corps’ project manager for the former military site at Buxton on Hatteras Island, is to provide an update on the cleanup.
