YOUR WATER, YOUR VOICE: Public comment period to oppose discharge permit closes Oct. 31

Important: Since the publication of this story, Cape Fear Public Utility Authority reached out to encore to add that CFPUA posts their 1,4-dioxane sampling data, for both raw water and treated water from the Sweeney Water Treatment Plant, and that the Sweeney Plant facility consistently removes 1,4-dioxane to levels below the EPA’s health advisory level. encore has added an additional quote from CFPUA to this article.

The U. S. Environmental Protection Agency, Region 4, (EPA) held a public hearing last week in Asheboro, NC, to allow people to submit oral or written comments and data regarding the EPA’s specific objection to a North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality's (NC DEQ) proposed National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit.

The EPA has objected to the proposed permit for discharges from the City of Asheboro Wastewater Treatment Plant. Right now, Asheboro accepts untreated wastewater from a plastic manufacturer called StarPet, which is then released into the Cape Fear River and our drinking water.

This wastewater contains a chemical called 1,4 dioxane, which is a known human carcinogen, and it has been measured in the finished drinking water leaving the Sweeney plant.

Update: Cammie Bellamy, CFPUA's Public Information Officer at CFPUA notes, "Granular Activated Carbon filters ... were not constructed at the Sweeney Plant for the purpose of removing 1,4-dioxane; those filters are intended to address PFAS. 1,4-dioxane is treated by biological filters at the Sweeney Plant; those filters were in place at Sweeney before the addition of the GAC filters."

The NCDEQ is allowing the city to use a toothless discharge permit due to a ruling by a judge, and now, after a lawsuit by the Southern Environmental Law Center arguing for stronger regulation, the EPA is stepping in to (hopefully) keep our water safe.

encore's John Wolfe joined Cape Fear River Watch's Kemp Burdette to provide public comments at the meeting and you can click HERE to watch the entire public hearing.

How to Provide a Public Comment

All persons interested in EPA’s specific objection to the City of Asheboro WWTP NPDES permit are invited to contribute comments, statements, data, and other information to EPA regarding the specific objections you may:

(1) submit written comments at the hearing; (2) send written comments to EPA at: Environmental Protection Agency, NPDES Permitting Section, Water Division, 61 Forsyth Street, SW, Atlanta, GA 30303-8960; (3) email comments to R4NPDESComments@epa.gov or (4) present oral comments at the hearing.

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Kemp Burdette

John Wolfe