DEQ-CFW_00080530

State Has Stopped Chemours'GenX Discharge for Now, But Federal Action Needed for Permanent
RAL86H: Federal officials must set limits for GenXand other emerging contaminants so that North
Carolina can permanently control its discharge and ensure the safety of its drinking water, Governor Roy
Cooper today told the U.S Environmental Protection Agency.
|naletter [|ink]toEPA Administrator E.Scott Pruitt, Gov. Cooper asked the EPA tomove more quickly to
finalize its health assessment and set a maximum contaminant level for the unregulated chemical GenX.
"When we turn on the tap to get a drink, cook a meal for our family, or run a bath for our children, we
count on that water to be safe. North Carolina must have your help to make sure the water is safe for
millions of our families," Gov. Cooper wrote in the letter.
At the Governor's direction, the NC Department of Environmental Quality along with the NC
Department of Health and Human Services launched an investigation June 14 into the presence of GenX
in the [ape Fear River. The river serves as the primary source ofdrinking water for 8|aden, Brunswick,
New Hanover and Pender counties.
The Cooper administration and others got Chemours, the chemical's manufacturer, tostop discharging
GenX into the Cape Fear. As a result, initial water tests being conducted by DEQ show that levels of
GenXinthe water supply are down dramatically. State officials continue tocollect water samples, with
samples being tested at an EPA lab in North Carolina and a private lab in Colorado.
Additional action from the EPA is necessary in order for North Carolina to be able to permanently
require Chemours to limit or end discharge of GenX or any currently unregulated chemical. Gov. Cooper
is also pushing the EPA to revisit its existing consent order with Chemouoto apply to all releases of
GenX.
In addition, the letter asks the EPA to use its authority under federal law that regulates the
introduction ofnew chemicals, the U.S.Toxic Substances Control Act to examine wastewater emissions
more carefully and require multiple health studies for new chemicals.
"The water, health and welfare of the people of North Carolina require your protection now from
unregulated emerging contaminants like GenX, and I look forward to working with your agency on this
and a variety of water quality issues," Gov. Cooper wrote.
More information about the state s ongoing investigation ofGenX is available at