Federal environmental officials are calling for tougher state action to limit the release of a cancer-causing chemical into North Carolina’s drinking water supplies, sparking renewed attention to water quality issues in the state.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has formally objected to North Carolina’s proposed wastewater discharge permit for the city of Asheboro, citing inadequate controls on 1,4-dioxane, a probable carcinogen linked to liver and kidney damage. The EPA’s letter to the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) demands the reinstatement of strict effluent limits, warning that failure to comply within 90 days could prompt federal intervention.
The chemical has been a persistent issue in North Carolina’s waterways, including the Haw and Deep Rivers, which provide drinking water to nearly one million people in communities such as Pittsboro, Sanford, Fayetteville and Wilmington. Pittsboro, in particular, has experienced repeated contamination events, with water testing revealing 1,4-dioxane levels far exceeding federal health advisory limits.
In September 2023, officials identified Apollo Chemical as the source of a discharge from Burlington’s wastewater treatment plant, which sent 1,4-dioxane levels soaring 1,300 times higher than EPA guidelines. While levels later declined, Pittsboro was forced to offer free reverse osmosis-treated water to residents and implement conservation measures. Similar contamination events have been reported in Pittsboro and surrounding communities over the past year.
Emily Sutton, the Haw Riverkeeper with the Haw River Assembly, is pushing for stricter regulations and better oversight of industrial dischargers.
“It is our right to have safe, drinkable, fishable, swimmable water,” she said.
The EPA’s intervention follows a controversial September 2024 ruling by Chief Administrative Law Judge Donald van der Vaart, which stripped the DEQ of its authority to impose limits on 1,4-dioxane in Asheboro’s wastewater permit. The ruling came after Asheboro, Greensboro and Reidsville challenged the state’s restrictions, arguing they were unenforceable. Environmental advocates argue this decision left downstream communities vulnerable to chemical contamination.
Kelly Moser, senior attorney with the Southern Environmental Law Center (SELC), criticized the ruling.
“Instead of using the power cities have to control pollution coming from their industries, Asheboro, Greensboro, and Reidsville have chosen to attack the laws that protect our basic right to clean drinking water.”
The EPA’s letter pushes DEQ to restore the water quality-based effluent limits that were initially imposed in 2023. These phased limits allowed time for industrial sources to reduce their contributions to 1,4-dioxane contamination.
DEQ acknowledged receipt of the EPA letter, stating, “It is under review.”
The EPA's objections highlight the broader challenge of balancing industrial activity with the health and safety of North Carolina’s water resources. While communities downstream scramble to mitigate the impacts of 1,4-dioxane, federal and state officials remain locked in a regulatory battle over the future of water quality protections.
If DEQ fails to revise the Asheboro permit to meet federal standards, the EPA has signaled it will take over the permitting process.
You can find all of WRAL's coverage of PFAS and water contamination here.
The WRAL Documentary team also explored the damage caused by the massive amounts of toxic chemicals dumped into the Cape Fear River. You can watch it here.
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