On Tuesday, the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality (NCDEQ) directed chemistry company Chemours to for toxic chemicals known as PFAS in private wells.
This follows the state's years-long action against Chemours for emitting PFAS into groundwater around its Fayetteville Works plant. It faces legal action on the local level as well.
An investigation began in 2017 when unregulated chemicals were found in the Cape Fear River. Two years later, NCDEQ released a requiring Chemours, among other things, to sample private wells for PFAS and provide solutions to impacted residents. Since then, NCDEQ said Chemours has stopped additional wastewater discharges.
The initial sampling area included New Hanover, Pender, Columbus, and Brunswick counties.
Now, the testing area has been extended approximately 10 miles south and 25 miles north of the Fayetteville Works plant. An estimated 150,000 residences in six other counties 鈥� Cumberland, Bladen, Robeson, and Sampson, along with Hoke and Harnett 鈥� can now request testing.
To request a test, residents can call Chemours at 910-678-1101. A third-party contractor, Parsons Environment and Infrastructure, will conduct the testing.
Chemours must also provide replacement water supplies to residents whose private wells contain certain levels of PFAS. The solutions include a free bottled water supply, various filtration methods and access to public water.
NCDEQ is calling the sampling a 鈥渟tep-out鈥� program. This means that for every private well that tests above a certain PFAS limit, the testing area 鈥渟teps out鈥� a quarter of a mile.
It will help NCDEQ determine how far the contamination goes, but also means there鈥檚 no set end to the PFAS sampling.
