Home Care In Burlington, NC

Burlington joins Greensboro and High Point, allowing people to drink alcohol while shopping within the social district boundaries.

BURLINGTON, N.C. — Burlington joins nearby cities Greensboro, and High Point by forming a social district.

Within the marked boundaries, you're able to consume alcoholic beverages, while shopping at participating businesses.

Despite the poor weather, Ted Gross with The Mini Dingo says the inaugural weekend has been a success.

"Nobody wants to be part of a sleepy downtown. You want to be a part of a situation where people can come, have a beer and have dinner and kind of be where the action is at the end of the day. So, getting people out on the street and having a beverage and creating some activity for people is a benefit for the entire community," said Gross.

Persnickety Books Co-Owner, Shawna Gentert says they've supported the idea of forming a social district from the start.

Although her business doesn't sell alcohol, they do allow shoppers, with the specially marked social district cup, to sip and shop.

"We pride ourselves on not only being a bookstore but a social hub so it's a perfect partnership for us. We've got some great seating and sometimes the restaurants are very full and very busy and people don't have to just stand around. They can linger, look around and maybe discover that we have a used bookstore downtown that they didn't know about before," said Gentert.

Businesses in Greensboro and High Point say their social district has been a huge success.

Earlier this year, Greensboro added a second social district along State Street.

As news spreads, other cities are looking at adding a social district of their own, including uptown Charlotte.

For Gross and Gentert, they welcome any opportunity to bring business downtown.

A part of the city where small businesses are almost exclusively locally owned.

"We rely on the locals and the surrounding communities to come downtown and meet us and be a part of what we're doing revitalizing downtown Burlington," said Gentert.

"We're glad to be a part of the whole growth of downtown, the revitalization of downtown and anything that creates excitement about what we're doing, we're all for it," said Gross.

Hours for the social district are Friday and Saturday from noon until 10 p.m.

1,4-dioxane leaked into the Haw River, affecting Pittsboro’s drinking water

Photo by Joseph Navin | Elon News Network

The town of Pittsboro is performing tests on the water it receives from the Haw River due to a 1,4-dioxane leak in Burlington — the second time in two months.

On Sept. 22, the city of Burlington received a test it had conducted by its wastewater treatment plant from Sept. 14 showing 459 parts per billion of 1,4-dioxane were leaving Burlington’s wastewater treatment plant at that time. The Environmental Protection Agency’s health advisory for 1,4-dioxane is .35 parts per billion in rivers and 35 parts per billion in drinking water — meaning this contamination is 1,300 times the EPA’s health advisory levels for rivers.

1,4-dioxane is used as a solvent in chemical manufacturing and can affect liver, eye and renal functions, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In July, Burlington found 160 parts per billion of 1,4-dioxane in the Haw River. This slug – or bulked subof contamination took a week to travel the 30 miles downstream from Burlington to Pittsboro, according to Pittsboro Public Information Officer and Emergency Management Coordinator Colby Sawyer.

This is not a new issue for Burlington or Pittsboro.

In the first few months of moving her family to Pittsboro in 2019, Elon professor of biology Jessica Merricks said she noticed a note in her water bill: the town was aware of the emerging presence of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, also known as PFAS, and 1,4-dioxane in the drinking water.

Alarmed by the letter and its lack of context, Merricks said she made some calls and did some research. What she found was concerning — these chemicals could be dangerous and had been around for some time. Pittsboro resident and microbiologist Katie Bryant had been advocating for change long before Merricks arrived in town.

Merricks and Bryant co-founded Clean Haw River, a Pittsboro organization fighting for clean water, in June 2020. Merricks said the organization has been helping the community by identifying short-term solutions to the issue, including helping the town partner with a local co-op called Chatham Marketplace to provide free reverse osmosis treatment — which purifies water by separating water molecules from sediment and chlorine — for those affected by the contamination.

The contamination of Pittsboro’s water comes from the companies incorrectly disposing of chemicals in the city of Burlington.

In 2019, the city found an alarming level of PFAS — over 33,000 parts per trillion. The most recent recommendation from the EPA is less than one part per trillion.

PFAS are a group of chemicals used to resist heat, oil, stains and water and can be found in food packaging, adhesives and much more, according to the CDC. These chemicals are a concern as they do not break down naturally and can affect human growth and development, as well as thyroid, immune system and liver functions, according to the CDC.

The city of Burlington and the Haw River Assembly — a nonprofit to protect the river — settled a lawsuit in early August, where Burlington agreed to take “significant measures” to limit PFAS pollution. The settlement included the names of the top contributors to PFAS pollution in Burlington: Elevate Textiles, Shawmut Corporation, Unichem Specialty Chemicals, Alamance County Landfill and the Republic Services Landfill.

While the top contributors are now preventing PFAS discharge, Elevate Textiles — the largest contributor, as stated in the press release about the settlement — will implement a system to capture PFAS contaminated wastewater from its production and will phase out its use of PFAS for certain products by June 15, 2025.

In 2020, the city of Burlington and the Haw River Assembly formalized a Memorandum of Agreement stating Burlington’s commitment to collect and test samples of wastewater discharged from the city’s two water treatment plants. Specifically, these tests attempt to find PFAS and 1,4-dioxane compounds, which the typical treatment processes do not remove, according to Burlington’s PFAS and 1,4-dioxane website.

The treated wastewater is sent downstream into the Haw River, meaning the contaminants do not affect the water of Burlington or Elon, but rather the drinking water of the town of Pittsboro.

According to Pittsboro Public Information Officer and Emergency Management Coordinator Colby Sawyer, one of the issues with the testing system is that it takes a week for the water to be tested — meaning the contaminated water could have already been used by citizens of the town.

“When a city like Burlington or Greensboro receives a routine test pop for one of these substances, we are having to react very quickly because we don't have days of lead time,” Sawyer said. “In fact, by the time we're notified of it, it could already be to us, past us, depending on how fast the river’s flowing.”

Merricks also said the town of Pittsboro installed a gas filter with granular activated carbon, which has lowered the amount of contaminants that get through the tap water, but it still isn’t enough.

“Unfortunately, these sorts of problems often fall on the laps of the communities who are the victims, so I think Pittsboro is doing the best it can,” Merricks said.

Sawyer said there are few options for how the town can stop the contamination without the help of the cities upstream.

“Really, the only thing the town can do is to continue to leverage our partnerships with the city of Greensboro and the city of Burlington to try to communicate to the industries and the commercial customers in their cities that what they put into the water impacts us downstream,” Sawyer said.

Merricks said the long-term solutions sit in the hands of federal and state governments.

“I think that at the end of the day, towns like Pittsboro will always be victim because the state and federal leadership is not doing what it has within its power to do, which is to hold industries accountable and to make these sorts of problems go away,” Merricks said. “They have the power to do that. Unfortunately, my community will always be on the offensive until things change from the top.”

The Pulse

Update at 12:20 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 26.: The Town of Pittsboro released the first sampling results for 1,4-Dioxane:

The EPA has set a health advisory goal of 0.35 ppb of 1,4-Dioxane in rivers and streams and 35 ppb in drinking water. The EPA has not yet established a legally enforceable maximum level for drinking water. The 35 ppb figure is not as protective as that for rivers and streams. That’s not a scientific rationale, but a technical one: Because of the cost of upgraded treatment systems — in the tens of millions of dollars — most utilities could not achieve the more stringent goals.

“The Town is cautiously optimistic with these results, which indicate whether the “slug,” or concentrated area of 1,4 dioxane, has passed us and we had minimal uptake, or it is just now reaching us,” wrote town spokesman Colby Sawyer, in a press release. Additional test results are expected tomorrow. “Once we receive these results, we can determine if our 1,4 dioxane concentration is moving in a positive or negative direction.”

Update at 7:48 a.m.: Because of the uncertainty about the presence of 1,4-Dioxane in the town’s drinking water, the Town of Pittsboro and Chatham Marketplace, 480 Hillsboro St, are offering free reverse osmosis (RO) treated water to Pittsboro water customers and customers of Aqua NC who receive their water from the Town of Pittsboro. Customers may use Code 64261 to fill jugs and bottles for free. Hours are 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Saturday, and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sundays.

Customers should bring jugs and bottles from home, as only a limited supply is available for purchase at the store.

The Town of Pittsboro has ramped up its drinking water testing after the City of Burlington discharged a slug of toxic chemical 1,4-Dioxane — 1,300 times the EPA’s health advisory goal — into the Haw River. It is the second time Burlington has reported contaminating Pittsboro’s drinking water supply this year.

In a press release issued late Friday afternoon, Pittsboro spokesman Colby Sawyer said Burlington officials had notified the town at 1:30 p.m. that routine testing showed high levels of 1,4-Dioxane — 459 parts per billion — had been discharged from one of its wastewater treatment plants on Sept. 14. However, Burlington officials reportedly told their Pittsboro counterparts that the test results had only arrived that day — more than a week later.

1,4-Dioxane is a “probable” carcinogen, according to federal health authorities. The chemical is used in industrial processing and as a solvent.

The source of the 1,4-Dioxane was likely one of Burlington’s industrial customers that discharges its wastewater into the city sewer system. Since traditional treatment methods don’t remove 1,4-Dioxane, the chemical passed through Burlington’s wastewater treatment plant and entered the Haw.

Burlington is 30 miles upstream of Pittsboro.

Sawyer said Pittsboro officials still don’t know if the 1,4-Dioxane has already passed by the town or has yet to arrive. “When a release of this type occurs, most of the substance flows downstream together,” Sawyer said. “The dilution and speed of travel of this bulked substance, or slug, is based on how fast and at what volume the river is flowing.”

Because Pittsboro’s contracted testing labs don’t operate on the weekends, its results won’t be back until Monday or Tuesday. Without the data, “we are unsure of what impact this release has, is having, or will have on our water system.”

Pittsboro utilities staff are drawing only the minimum amount of water from the Haw to “keep the water system functional,” Sawyer said.

The town is encouraging its water customers to conserve water by reducing or eliminating non-essential uses, such as landscape irrigation, washing vehicles and filling swimming pools.

In July, Burlington’s Southside wastewater treatment plant released 1,4-Dioxane into the Haw, albeit at lower levels — 160 ppb, or 457 times the EPA goal for rivers and streams. It took about a week for the chemical to reach Pittsboro, which at the time, detected levels in drinking water at 11.9 ppb.

In 2020, the Haw River Assembly, represented by the Southern Environmental Law Center, and the City of Burlington reached a memorandum of agreement to identify sources of 1,4-Dioxane and to reduce its discharge. Burlington has not publicly announced which of its industrial customers is responsible for the high levels of 1,4-Dioxane discharges.

A diversified Pittsburgh company that has moved into energy storage, including for electric vehicles and hydrogen fuel cells, is hoping to convert and expand a Burlington printing and embossing equipment maker it acquired several years ago.

Matthews International is seeking Burlington’s help on a N.C. building re-use grant for a proposed $10 million investment that would create about 25 jobs paying an average of $64,061, according to a city public notice. The notice is for a public hearing on the grant proposal at the city council’s Dec. 5 meeting.

Under the North Carolina Commerce Department building re-use program, local governments typically seek the grants on behalf of companies with which they enter contracts.

Matthews, which traces its history to 1850, has three main business lines: Memorialization, consisting of bronze and granite memorials, caskets and cremation equipment; industrial energy storage systems, product identification and warehouse technology including fulfillment and tracking systems; and brand management including printing equipment and merchandising and consumer-product services.

Its energy storage business produces engineered industrial calendering, laminating, and coating equipment that is used to make lithium-ion batteries and components of fuel cells. The company also delivers products to several major vehicle producers and is actively pursuing opportunities with several other electric vehicle and tier-one battery manufacturers, it stated in its most recent annual report.

In early 2021, Matthews acquired a Canadian company, Terrella Energy Systems, that makes a graphite component of fuel cells.

In 2022, it added two Germany companies, Olbrich GmbH and R+S Automotive GmbH, in the battery and energy storage business, with Olbrich's main business in electrodes that make up lithium-ion batteries and hydrogen fuel cells.

That followed Matthews' announcement earlier in 2022 of a a joint development agreement with Canadian engineering firm Illuming Power to work toward an automated production line for certain fuel-cell components.

The company found that it can adapt some of its processes for other industries, including making lithium-ion batteries for EVs, CEO Joseph Bartolacci told the Pittsburgh Business Times. Those processes include rotary gravening and calendaring, where a material like metal is smoothed through rolling cylinders.

Matthews came to North Carolina in 2018 with the acquisition of Frost Converting Systems of Burlington, maker of equipment for printing and embossing for packaging for a variety of products, including the tobacco industry. It's the former Frost site that is the subject of the grant application.

Matthews hopes to convert the site to make parts for hydrogen fuel cells and electric-vehicle batteries, according to Burlington’s economic development director, Peter Bishop.

The company has indicated it will seek a local incentive grant of $100,000 from Burlington as well.

The site is at 2056 Willow Springs Lane in Burlington, where there is a building of about 34,000 square feet, according to Alamance County property records.

The City of Burlington believes Apollo Chemical in Burlington dumped 1,4-Dioxane into the Haw River. The Town of Pittsboro is feeling the effects.

BURLINGTON, N.C. — The possible carcinogen, 1,4-Dioxane was recently dumped into the Haw River.

The City of Burlington said the potentially cancer-causing chemical came from Apollo Chemical in Burlington.

This is an issue for the Town of Pittsboro as they get their water directly from the Haw River.

Pittsboro's Public Information Officer Colby Sawyer said this is something they've dealt with before.

"We're not new to this. We've had multiple of these events over the years, and so we're pretty well-trained and prepared on how to handle these things," Sawyer said.

Although the chemicals are said to come from a chemical company in Burlington, the City of Burlington's water supply is fine, but with Pittsboro being downstream from Burlington, any possible traces of 1,4-Dioxane will eventually end up in Pittsboro and beyond.

"Our water sources are not connected to the Haw River. The South Burlington Wastewater Treatment Plant discharges into the Great Alamance Creek, just upstream of where it discharges to the Haw River. Anybody downstream of that potentially could be affected," City of Burlington's Water Resources Director Bob Patterson said.

According to the CDC, 1,4-Dioxane is a clear liquid that easily dissolves in water. It's used primarily as a solvent in the manufacturing of chemicals. The CDC says the chemical is possibly carcinogenic to humans, meaning it's capable of causing cancer.

Pittsboro has yet to get back results from the lab on whether or not 1,4-Dioxane is in their water. But out of caution, the town is using the bare minimum amount of water needed to keep their systems functioning and even giving out free water until they get the all-clear. The town, as well as the folks with the Haw River Assembly, like Haw Riverkeeper Emily Sutton, are encouraging people to push legislators for more regulation of 1,4-Dioxane in our water systems, so that the dumping of the chemical into waterways can be monitored closer, and those responsible can face more consequences.

"Right now, North Carolina is in this very contentious debate around whether or not our state can enact narrative standards, numeric standards, for 1,4-Dioxane on any of these discharge permits. 1,4-Dioxane isn’t an issue that we’re seeing federally as much as PFAS, so it hasn’t risen to the level of concern that we’re seeing," Sutton said.