Since years, local, regional, and state groups have fought to hold a local chemical plant responsible for its alleged groundwater contamination. Cumberland County joined this fight by filing a lawsuit against Chemours as well as its parent company DuPont.
Crueger Dickson LLC filed this lawsuit. Baron & Budd P.C. alleged Chemours knowingly contaminated drinking water sources in the county with forever chemicals called PFAS (orper- and polyfluoroalkyl substance), like GenX. High levels of the chemicals can cause cancer in animals. It is not known what GenX does to humans.
Cumberland County residents were unaware of the dangers these chemicals pose, so the companies released them in the Cumberland County air and groundwater for decades. Friday, February 5, 2012 – Press release from the county.
North Carolina environmental regulators are currently investigating Chemours since June 2017, when the Wilmington StarNews reported that Chemours had published a study last year showing that they had discovered GenX and other compounds in the river. Since then, GenX has been found in hundreds of private wells around the plant.
Chemours has been sued on behalf of well owners who live near the facility. Residents living near the facility are also suing the company.
These companies used the Fayetteville Work facility as a dumping ground to dump hundreds of chemicals, while ensuring the EPA. [Environmental Protection Agency]According to the Friday lawsuit, state agencies said they were doing nothing like that.
Monday’s request for comment was not answered by the Chemourscompany
Officials from Chemours located near the Cumberland County and Bladen County lines have previously stated that GenX found in wells around the plant is safe.
Since January, Chemours has been advertising television that it is a good neighbour that protects the environment.
A timeline of state involvement
According to the website of the state agency, the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality started requiring Chemours in 2017 to significantly reduce the release of contaminants from PFAS into North Carolina’s air, water, and soil.
Two years later, DEQ brought the matter to Bladen County Superior Court. They filed a Consent orderThis required the company to address PFAS source and contamination by sampling private water wells, providing replacement drinking waters, and reducing GenX air emission by 99.9%. The order was approved by the company and an environmental group.
DEQ amended its consent order in August 2020 to include new requirements, including planned benchmarks for preventing PFAS contamination.
Chemours has made an industry-leading commitment of reducing fluorinated PFAS emissions to 99% by 2030, according to Lisa Randall, a Chemours spokeswoman.
According to the agency’s website, DEQ found that the company had contaminated groundwater monitoring wells and water supply lines in New Hanover County.
The state agency evaluated More than $199,000 in PenaltiesMarch 2021 – Chemours
These are not the only counties that could be affected. In May 2021, more than 260 homes were found to have potentially harmful chemicals in Bladen, Cumberland, and Robeson Counties, all less than 16 miles from the Chemours facility. These results were in addition of hundreds of other wells containing the compounds that were previously discovered.
More:Research shows that PFAS chemicals were exposed to Gray’s Creek horses and dogs.
More:State finds high levels PFAS chemicals in Cumberland toxic foam.
Chemours submitted a February 2022 report. Drinking water plan and samplingFor the counties within the Wilmington region. Chemours was ordered by DEQ on March 2 to expand the plan’s reach.
Initiatives by counties
Not everyone in Cumberland County believes that DEQ’s involvement is effective. Christopher Scott Leyhew lives in a house that had a positive GenX test. In 2020, The Fayetteville Observer reported that the consent order required that the company only install filters under the sinks in some homes. People were still using contaminated water to shower.
Mike Watters, who lives a mile from the plant but has a contaminated water well, is also critical of DEQ.
The Cumberland County Board of Commissioners allocated $10.5 million in January 2020 to run water lines in the affected area due to GenX contamination. Some residents, including children in two local elementary schools had been drinking bottles of water since GenX contamination was discovered at a nearby well.
Grays Creek’s public water system has not been developed by the county. The board was expected Monday to consider entering into a bulk water purchase arrangement with Fayetteville Public Works Commission in order to supply water to that district.
The county has taken steps to move forward with other initiatives during this time. It allocated $2,000,000 in May 2021 for a water feasibility study of the entire county and not just Grays Creek.
The board of commissioners also hired three law firms in June 2021: Crueger Dickinson LLC, based in Wisconsin.; Washington, D.C.’s Baron & Budd, P.C.; and Asheville’s Seagle Law to determine whether the county should file suit.
Ten months later, Cumberland County did exactly that.
Seagle Law, however, was not part of Friday’s lawsuit. Rick Moorefield, County Attorney, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Moorefield said that Crueger, Baron & Budd had filed 90% in environmental contamination cases throughout the country by 2021. They have been awarded multi-million dollar settlements in several environmental cases.
More:Which environmental cases were handled by Cumberland lawyers who are new?
The contract provides that 25% of any potential settlement due to a lawsuit will be paid to the lawyers. If there is a recovery, fees would be refunded.
Jeannette Council stated previously that the county would consider going to court regarding the issue.
