WILMINGTON — Cape Fear Public Utility Authority on Tuesday announced that levels of GenX found in its water have dropped significantly since a 2013-14 study that was made public in June, sparking a public controversy.
The results of testing done in late June at the Sweeney Water Treatment Plant show that levels of the chemical had dropped to 55.4 parts per trillion (ppt)— equivalent to roughly 55 drops of water per trillion gallons. Brunswick County released the results of its tests earlier in the day.
In comparison, the levels were as high 631 parts per trillion in the raw river water and approximately 470 ppt in the finished water at Sweeney Water Treatment Plant in the 2013-14 study.
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That’s the second such CFPUA test that showed decreasing levels of the chemical. On June 26, five days after The Chemours Company announced to its shareholders that it would immediately cease releasing the chemical into the water in Fayetteville, the levels were 149 ppt in raw water and and 156 ppt in treated water, respectively.
“It is important to note that water takes around 15 hours to go through the treatment process at the plant—which means finished water samples can often be older than the raw water samples,” the release states. “This is why levels of GenX can be higher in finished water samples than in raw water samples.”
The results came from Eurofins, a laboratory the utility has used for various testing services in the past, according to the press release.
The samples, taken at various times between June 26 – July 5, indicate levels of GenX are below the current North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services “Derived No Effect Level” of 70,909 ppt. That is the level at which the chemical is considered to be a carcinogen, though there are no set federal standards at this time.
The state Department of Environmental Quality also tested the water. According to CFPUA, initial results from the state agency are due later this week or early next week.
“The initial data show that current levels of GenX in the Cape Fear River are below what has been found in the past,” the release states. “CFPUA will continue three-day-a-week testing until levels of GenX remain consistently low, and will continue to update the public as new results come in.
“It is important these initial results be reviewed in the proper context with future test results collected by CFPUA, as well as results by NCDEQ so well-informed conclusions can be reached,” the release states. “We will continue to release testing data as it becomes available.”
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