HomeMy WebLinkAboutDEQ-CFW_00083695RALEkGH—Stateoffiobdobndbatedudddkooalonfbucemoniuodnnoagainst Chemours Wednesday after
preliminary state test results detected GenXand another perflouninated compound in violation of state
groundwater standards innon water wells u1the company'sFayetteville Works facility.
res-u-1-t-s publicized today hvthe state Department ofEnvironmental Quality mhnn/
concentrations ofGeoXand PF0/\iuwells onChomnuraFayetteville Works' property inviolation of
state standards. The wells tested are used forenvironmental monitoring at the facility and are
not a source of drinking water.
Based onthe preliminary results, DG0announced its plans Locite Chomour with anotice ofviolation.
Today's announcement comes a day after the state initiated other legal actionagainst the company.
DGOand the N.C. DepartmentofHealth and Human Services onWednesday also alerted health offiubzo
in8kadonand Cumberland counties tothe preliminary test results and started making plans toconduct
testing of private drinking water wells for people who live near the Chemours facility.
The two state agencies are also making plans to host umeeting from 6-7:30 p.m. Sept. 14 at 0t. Pom|'o
Middle School no uomner ` questions about the groundwater test romuhm from theFayetteville
Works facility and future plans.
'We are taking all necessary steps to address clear violations of state rules and will launch a private well
testingregimen for homeowners living near the facility who wish Vohave their wells tested for free, to
determine ifthe contamination has moved beyond the facility into well water used for
dninking," said Michael Rucom, secretary ofthe N.C. Department ofEnvironmental Quality.^'Ao is our
routine when we find violations of groundwaterrules onucompany's property, we are reaching out to
residents who use wells as their source of drinking water."
Preliminary Test Results from Chemwnrs^Wells
/\opart ofthe ongoinginvestigation, N.C. [)BU collected groundwateroomp|oo from 14groundnxatur
monitoring wells on the Chemours property in early August. Concentrations of GenX were detected in 13
of 14 industrial wells at the plant exceeding the 10 parts per trillion practical quantitation limit, which is a
state groundwater regulatory I ]in it used for chemicals when no groundwater standard has been
established, such ao(}onX. Two wells on Chonooury` property also revealed levels above the otatu`e
interim groundwater standard for PFOA of 2,000 parts per trillion. Preliminary test results have identified
other detections of flouhnatodoonupoondo.
The groundwater regulatory standards for GcnXand the other fluorinated compounds are different from
health goals for drinking water established hvthe N.[.Department ofHealth and Human Services and the
Environmental Protection Agency' Drinking Water Health Advisory level, which are used for public
health, not regulatory reasons.
The water samples collected by DEQ in early August at the company's industrial wells were sent to three
laboratories. The preliminary results come from only one of the labs — Gel Laboratories in Charleston,
S.C. State officials have not received test results from Chemours that were sent to Test America's
Colorado lab for analysis, and are awaiting final results from the EPA lab in Research Triangle Park.
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