Two environmental groups have taken issue with a draft permit which outlines how a chemical firm will deal with potentially hazardous compounds in groundwater. It is located under the Bladen County plant.
The Southern Environmental Law Center and Cape Fear River Watch issued a statement Friday calling on the state Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) to place stronger limits on the amount of per- and polyfluoroalkyl chemicals (PFAS), that Chemours can discharge into Cape Fear River through a new groundwater treatment plant.
Because they don’t easily break down, PFAS chemicals are sometimes called “forever chemicals”. The Environmental Protection Agency doesn’t know much about many of the compounds. However, it says that prolonged exposure to two compounds, including one that was made at Bladen County when it was owned and operated by DuPont, can cause adverse health effects, including cancer.
Chemours produces another PFAS compound, GenX at the plant, also known as Fayetteville Works. This chemical is also a byproduct from other processes.
Chemours responds in Cumberland County lawsuit
The statement was made by environmental groups a week following a lawsuit filed by Cumberland County against Chemours. It claimed that the plant had contaminated Cumberland County’s wells. DuPont, which split off Chemours in 2015 as a separate company, and Corteva Inc were also named in the lawsuit.
The Fayetteville works plant is located between N.C. 87 (near the Cumberland County line) and the river.
Previous reporting:Cumberland files suit against Chemours claiming ‘blatant disregard’ for environmental pollution
Officials from Chemours said Wednesday that they were disappointed that the county had filed the lawsuit. The statement stated that Chemours has been in regular contact with the county about the consent order agreement regarding the company’s contract with the Cape Fear River Watch and the Department of Environmental Quality.
According to the statement, we have offered alternative water systems to qualified county properties in our discussions with the County. We are also working with PWC water and the County to connect affected Cumberland County residents with public water, where possible.
According to the statement, the company also provided bottled water to Grays Creek Elementary School students and faculty and supported a meal program during the pandemic.
It stated that we are committed to continuing engagement with Cumberland County as the consent order agreement is implemented.
Since 2017, when the Wilmington StarNews reported GenX was discovered by researchers in the Cape Fear River, state officials have been investigating Fayetteville Work facility. Later, GenX and other PFAS chemicals were found in private wells near the plant.
According to the state Department of Environmental Quality, more than 5,250 wells have been found to be contaminated with PFAS. Chemours is required to provide bottled drinking water to these homes.
Fayetteville Work’s history of PFAS
The lawsuit, which runs to more than 45 pages, was filed at Cumberland County Superior Court. It includes information about history of the chemical plants. It claims that the Chemours facility was secretly supplied with millions of pounds per- and polyfluoroalkyl compounds (PFAS) for nearly 40 years.
DuPont allegedly came to an understanding of the dangers posed by PFAS soon after it began using them in 1950s. According to the lawsuit, DuPont discovered that perfluorooctanoic Acid (PFOA), a PFAS it used was toxic to both animals and humans.
According to the lawsuit DuPont made PFOA at the Bladen County facility in October 2002. The company continued making it there until 2013. According to the suit, the company created the compound to allow it to continue manufacturing profitable Teflon products.
DuPont began making GenX at Fayetteville Works in 2008, but the compound was a byproduct of those processes and the company had been disposing it for decades, according to the lawsuit.
Assessment by the EPA:GenX is more dangerous than people think; health effects may include damage to the liver and immune system
The EPA was concerned GenX could be toxic to animals and humans, so DuPont and the agency signed a consent agreement in 2009. According to the suit the agreement required DuPont to either destroy or recycle 99%. The lawsuit claims that DuPont provided information that indicated GenX would be manufactured in a closed-loop process, meaning that none of it would be released.
According to the lawsuit Chemours only informed state officials that DuPont and Chemours had discharged GenX, and other PFAS, after extensive media coverage.
Groundwater treatment system in draft permit
Chemours and the state, along with Cape Fear River Watch, entered into a second consent order in February 2019. It was amended the following year. Chemours is required to develop the groundwater-treatment system that is the subject for the draft permit, which is currently being reviewed by state officials.
According to a statement from the Department of Environmental Quality, the permit doesn’t allow the discharge of wastewater generated by plant operations or processing. The consent order also required Chemours in 2020 to address four seeps that were identified as causing more than half of the groundwater pollution in the river.
According to the statement, Chemours has taken interim measures and submitted plans for permanent measures to DEQ. It stated that the measure would include a subsurface barrier wall measuring more than a mile in length and a groundwater extraction system to capture groundwater contamination and prevent it entering the river.
According to the statement, the draft permit requires treatment to remove PFAS contaminants from groundwater, surface water, and stormwater before discharge into Cape Fear River. The permit conditions specify that the system must be able to remove at least 99 percent of PFAS, and must meet daily and month effluent limits.
The environmental groups argue that the permit allows for high levels of GenX as well as two other PFAS compounds to be released.
Geoff Gisler is a senior lawyer at the Southern Environmental Law Center. He represented Cape Fear River Watch throughout the negotiations that resulted in the 2019 consent order. He stated that the Department of Environmental Quality draft permit allows Chemours high levels of PFAS to be dumped into the river.
He said that the consent order required technology to be installed has almost eliminated Chemours pollution by PFAS from certain areas of its site. DEQ must use this information to protect communities against PFAS contamination in Chemours’ proposed discharge. This protection is not provided by the DEQ draft permit.
Cape Fear River Watch’s executive director Dana Sargent said that DEQ should protect people from Chemours’ historical and consistent disregard for the environment and human health.
After all that we have learned over five years, it is surprising that DEQ would draft a permit allowing Chemours PFAS release into the Cape Fear River.
DEQ issued a statement in response to questions about the permit. It stated that the permit requires long-term remediation measures to reduce residual contamination. It stated that groundwater contaminated by PFAS is currently flowing into rivers without being treated.
According to the statement, the draft permit requires a minimum of 99% removal from groundwater of PFAS contaminants.
Monday’s statement from Chemours in response to questions concerning the draft permit was released by the company.
The statement stated that the barrier wall, water treatment system and water treatment system are important tools for reducing legacy PFAS from site-related sites that reach Cape Fear. It stated that granulated activated charcoal will be used to remove 99 percent of the compounds.
According to the statement company officials welcome public comments about the draft permit.
It said that timely issuance is vital to meet consent order deadlines.
Public comments are being accepted by DEQs Division of Water Resources until May 2, 2022. You can send your comments by email [email protected]With CHEMOURS in the subject line or by mail to Wastewater Permitting Attn Chemours Permit 1617 Mail Service Center Raleigh, N.C. 27699-1617
Steve DeVane is the local news editor. [email protected]Or 910-486-3572.