Federal regulators are inviting the public to weigh in
Wednesday night on how North Carolina should handle toxic chemical releases
from the City of Asheboro’s wastewater plant — pollution that eventually flows
into the Cape Fear River Basin, a source of drinking water for more than 1
million people.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is holding a public
hearing from 6 to 9 p.m. Wednesday at Randolph Community College in
Asheboro to gather input before deciding whether to uphold its objection to the
city’s state water-quality permit. The chemical in question, 1,4-dioxane, is a
likely carcinogen that isn’t removed by conventional drinking-water treatment
systems.
EPA questions NC’s oversight of toxic discharges
In January, the EPA objected to North Carolina’s permit for
Asheboro’s wastewater plant, saying it lacked enforceable limits for
1,4-dioxane. The objection followed a September 2024 ruling by former Chief
Administrative Law Judge Donald van der Vaart that blocked the N.C. Department
of Environmental Quality (DEQ) from including those limits in the city’s
permit.
That decision — challenged by DEQ and still under
appeal—stemmed from a lawsuit filed by Asheboro, Greensboro and Reidsville,
which argued the state’s restrictions were overly burdensome and unenforceable.
Environmental groups contend the ruling weakened North Carolina’s ability to
protect downstream communities from toxic chemicals such as 1,4-dioxane and
PFAS.
EPA’s
letter told DEQ to reinstate water-quality-based limits and warned that if
the state fails to revise the permit to meet federal standards, the agency
could take over permitting authority itself.
“This hearing is about whether North Carolina will use the
tools it already has to stop toxic pollution at the source,” said Jean Zhuang,
senior attorney with the Southern Environmental Law Center. “EPA’s objection
gives the state a chance to strengthen its protections for families who depend
on the Cape Fear River for drinking water.”
Downstream communities face contamination
Water released from Asheboro’s plant flows into the Deep
River, which joins the Cape Fear River— the drinking-water source for a chain of
downstream communities including Sanford, Fayetteville, Wilmington, Brunswick
County, and Pender County.
Several towns in the Triangle region also buy treated water
from Sanford, meaning residents in Pittsboro, Fuquay-Varina, Holly Springs, and
parts of Harnett County are connected to the same system. Altogether, the Cape
Fear River Basin supplies drinking water to more than one million North
Carolinians.
What is 1,4-dioxane and why is it so hard to remove?
1,4-dioxane is used in manufacturing products including
plastics, adhesives, and cleaning products. The EPA has found
it can cause cancer and liver or kidney damage after long-term exposure, and it
is harmful at extremely low levels. Because the chemical does not break down
easily and passes through most treatment systems, once it enters rivers and
streams, it can reach household taps miles downstream.
North Carolina ranks among the states with the highest
levels of 1,4-dioxane contamination in drinking-water systems. Testing
by DEQ has found occasional spikes hundreds or even thousands of times above
levels the EPA considers protective for lifetime exposure.
State regulators say they have been monitoring 1,4-dioxane
for more than a decade and assisting municipalities in reducing industrial
discharges.
“Because 1,4-dioxane has been determined to be a likely
human carcinogen, DEQ agrees with the EPA that permit limits are necessary to
protect North Carolinians’ drinking water,” a DEQ spokesperson said. “The
Division of Water Resources continues to monitor wastewater and surface waters
across the Cape Fear River Basin and assist municipalities to minimize or
reduce 1,4-dioxane coming from industrial wastewater.”
The City of Asheboro declined to answer specific questions
about the case, citing ongoing litigation.
“Asheboro is in compliance with our current, valid NPDES
permit,” said Michael Rhoney, the city’s water resources director. “The legal
process will determine what, if any, limits are lawful and enforceable.
Asheboro intends to comply with the results from the legal decision.”
City officials have said the chemical originates from local
industries that send waste to the city’s treatment system. Environmental
experts say municipalities can require those industries to pre-treat waste
before it enters the sewer network—an approach some downstream utilities argue
is more cost-effective than adding advanced filtration to drinking-water
plants.
Next steps and public input
EPA officials say they will use feedback from this week’s
hearing to help decide whether to sustain their objection or allow the state to
finalize the permit.
The public hearing will be held at the JB and Claire Davis
Corporate Training Center, Randolph Community College, 413 Industrial Park
Ave., Asheboro. Doors open at 5 p.m., and those wishing to speak are encouraged
to pre-register through the EPA’s event portal.
Written comments can also be submitted through October 31 by
emailing R4NPDESComments@epa.gov.