The Cape Fear River Basin is the source of drinking water for 1.5 million North Carolina residents. It is also where three municipal governments 鈥� Asheboro, Greensboro and Reidsville 鈥� are dumping dangerous levels of 1,4-dioxane, a colorless industrial solvent linked to cancer.
But on the eve of an anticipated federal decision that could curtail how much of the chemical can be unloaded into the waterway, Asheboro officials made a request: They asked the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to allow the public to voice its opinion on the matter.
That will buy the three cities some time while the EPA decides what to do.
Dioxane spikes in Asheboro
It鈥檚 the latest ripple in a long, drawn out controversy and another chapter of the all-too-familiar story of commerce being at odds with conservation.
In this case, local manufacturing companies pay these cities to take and treat their wastewater 鈥� chock full of 1,4-dioxane 鈥� so it can be processed and discharged. But municipal wastewater treatment plants aren鈥檛 designed to filter out that kind of tiny, elusive chemical.
In 2024, Asheboro, Greensboro and Reidsville sued for their right to keep dumping 鈥� and won. Now, there are no discharge limits on 1,4-dioxane. Meaning, that the cities can keep disposing as much as they want.
In December, that led to Asheboro鈥檚 1,4-dioxane discharges being 2,322 times higher than the threshold state scientists consider potentially cancerous.
The cities have a profit incentive to continue accepting as much industrial waste as possible.
But in January, the EPA stepped in, warning the state it had 90 days 鈥� or until April 3 鈥� to issue stricter limits on the chemical or the federal agency would take over.
With just days remaining before the federal deadline, the city of Asheboro requested the public hearing that has now delayed EPA intervention.
But environmental advocates aren't waiting for the EPA. The Southern Environmental Law Center announced its intention to sue both Asheboro and two of its industrial contributors 鈥� StarPet, a plastics manufacturer, and Waste Management鈥檚 Great Oak Landfill 鈥� for what it calls 鈥溾�� of the potentially cancer-causing chemical.
鈥淭his pollution jeopardizes the health of communities downstream,鈥� Jean Zhuang, a senior attorney for the Southern Environmental Law Center, told . 鈥淚t is absolutely unacceptable 鈥� Asheboro and these industries must stop their illegal discharges. The Clean Water Act requires industries to treat their own pollution. The burden should not be on downstream communities.鈥�
The North Carolina Chamber of Commerce wrote to U.S. Sen. Thom Tillis in January, calling the EPA's actions 鈥渆gregious overreach鈥� and urged Congress to intervene.
鈥淓PA鈥檚 action is a prime example of a federal agency exceeding its authority as North Carolina has not adopted a state water quality standard for 1,4-dioxane nor has a final decision on the permit been made as it awaits judicial review,鈥� according to the letter, penned by Alyssa Morrissey, the chamber鈥檚 director of regulatory affairs. 鈥淭he most consequential effect of the EPA鈥檚 letter is the impact on North Carolinians. 鈥� North Carolina鈥檚 municipalities would be required to install costly treatment technologies at their wastewater treatment plants 鈥� an expense of up to $1.3 billion for certain municipalities.鈥�
In downstream Brunswick County, a system to remove 1,4-dioxane and other chemicals is . It鈥檚 scheduled to be operational in late spring 2025. While the county is absorbing a portion of the $160 million expansion, some of the cost is passed onto Brunswick taxpayers.
'Unleash industry'
The timing of Asheboro's hearing request, filed just two days before the EPA's deadline, comes amid a push by North Carolina鈥檚 powerful industry groups to roll back environmental protections. With President Donald Trump in the Oval Office, calls for deregulation may have more sway.
Under Trump, the EPA has different priorities. EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin announced on the social media platform X that the agency鈥檚 new goal is to lower the cost of buying cars, homes and running businesses.
Some in North Carolina worry that the agency will now abandon its project to enforce a limit on Asheboro鈥檚 1,4-dioxane discharges, especially given the delay caused by the request for a public hearing.
鈥淭hey鈥檝e said that their objective is to unleash industry,鈥� said Linda Birnbaum, a toxicologist working at Duke University. 鈥淢any of us are very concerned that EPA is going to revisit all the analysis and all the science that was done. We're concerned that it won't be done in an unbiased manner.鈥�
In the meantime, the EPA now must decide if it will honor Asheboro鈥檚 request for a public hearing. If not, things will be back to where they were.
Will the agency issue a new limit on the chemical?
Or let the cities continue to do business as usual?
Commerce and conservation hang in the balance.
This first appeared on and is republished here under a .
