BRUNSWICK COUNTY — Water quality data released by Brunswick County shows that combined per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) concentrations in untreated water spiked about 38% between July 23 and 24 at the Cape Fear Region’s raw water source.
The timing is significant because on July 22, Chemours notified downstream utilities that its consultants witnessed an increase in sediments at the company’s discharge pipe on the river possibly due to ongoing construction activities.
The Cape Fear region’s raw water source at Kings Bluff is 40 miles downstream from Chemours’ discharge point. On July 23, Chemours informed utilities its testing conducted seven miles downstream showed no increase in PFAS and that the increased turbidity was not caused by the company’s construction activities. A North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) representative informed Cape Fear Public Utilities (CFPUA) the river “appeared normal.”
Brunswick County’s test results show the spill could have contributed to or caused the downstream spike noted on July 24. However, Brunswick County points out PFAS levels in the river vary drastically, dependent on river flow, rainfall and stormwater, and other point source discharges.
So far in 2020, combined PFAS levels have fluctuated between 50 parts per trillion (ppt) to nearly 300 ppt in finished water in Brunswick County. Of the 49 PFAS tested (of which there are thousands in existence but established testing methods don’t yet exist for), there were a combined 272 ppt in the July 24 Kings Bluff sample.
Brunswick County’s $122 million expansion and low-pressure reverse osmosis water treatment project is currently under construction. It is projected to be partially completed with reverse osmosis treated water available to customers beginning May 2023. The project is estimated to be completed by November 2023.
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