Federal regulators are inviting the public to weigh in
\nWednesday night on how North Carolina should handle toxic chemical releases
\nfrom the City of Asheboro\u2019s wastewater plant \u2014 pollution that eventually flows
\ninto the Cape Fear River Basin, a source of drinking water for more than 1
\nmillion people.<\/p>\n
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is holding a public \t\t\t\t\t\tEPA questions NC\u2019s oversight of toxic discharges<\/p>\n In January, the EPA objected to North Carolina\u2019s permit for That decision \u2014 challenged by DEQ and still under EPA\u2019s \u201cThis hearing is about whether North Carolina will use the \t\t\t\t\t\tDownstream communities face contamination<\/p>\n Water released from Asheboro\u2019s plant flows into the Deep Several towns in the Triangle region also buy treated water \t\t\t\t\t\tWhat is 1,4-dioxane and why is it so hard to remove?<\/p>\n 1,4-dioxane is used in manufacturing products including North Carolina ranks among the states with the highest State regulators say they have been monitoring 1,4-dioxane \u201cBecause 1,4-dioxane has been determined to be a likely The City of Asheboro declined to answer specific questions \u201cAsheboro is in compliance with our current, valid NPDES City officials have said the chemical originates from local \t\t\t\t\t\tNext steps and public input<\/p>\n EPA officials say they will use feedback from this week\u2019s The public hearing will be held at the JB and Claire Davis
\nhearing<\/a> from 6 to 9 p.m. Wednesday at Randolph Community College in
\nAsheboro to gather input before deciding whether to uphold its objection to the
\ncity\u2019s state water-quality permit. The chemical in question, 1,4-dioxane, is a
\nlikely carcinogen that isn\u2019t removed by conventional drinking-water treatment
\nsystems.<\/p>\n
\nAsheboro\u2019s wastewater plant, saying it lacked enforceable limits for
\n1,4-dioxane. The objection followed a September 2024 ruling by former Chief
\nAdministrative Law Judge Donald van der Vaart that blocked the N.C. Department
\nof Environmental Quality (DEQ) from including those limits in the city\u2019s
\npermit.<\/p>\n
\nappeal\u2014stemmed from a lawsuit filed by Asheboro, Greensboro and Reidsville,
\nwhich argued the state\u2019s restrictions were overly burdensome and unenforceable.
\nEnvironmental groups contend the ruling weakened North Carolina\u2019s ability to
\nprotect downstream communities from toxic chemicals such as 1,4-dioxane and
\nPFAS.<\/p>\n
\nletter<\/a> told DEQ to reinstate water-quality-based limits and warned that if
\nthe state fails to revise the permit to meet federal standards, the agency
\ncould take over permitting authority itself.<\/p>\n
\ntools it already has to stop toxic pollution at the source,\u201d said Jean Zhuang,
\nsenior attorney with the Southern Environmental Law Center. \u201cEPA\u2019s objection
\ngives the state a chance to strengthen its protections for families who depend
\non the Cape Fear River for drinking water.\u201d<\/p>\n
\nRiver, which joins the Cape Fear River\u2014 the drinking-water source for a chain of
\ndownstream communities including Sanford, Fayetteville, Wilmington, Brunswick
\nCounty, and Pender County.<\/p>\n
\nfrom Sanford, meaning residents in Pittsboro, Fuquay-Varina, Holly Springs, and
\nparts of Harnett County are connected to the same system. Altogether, the Cape
\nFear River Basin supplies drinking water to more than one million North
\nCarolinians.<\/p>\n
\nplastics, adhesives, and cleaning products. The EPA has found<\/a>
\nit can cause cancer and liver or kidney damage after long-term exposure, and it
\nis harmful at extremely low levels. Because the chemical does not break down
\neasily and passes through most treatment systems, once it enters rivers and
\nstreams, it can reach household taps miles downstream.<\/p>\n
\nlevels<\/a> of 1,4-dioxane contamination in drinking-water systems. Testing<\/a>
\nby DEQ has found occasional spikes hundreds or even thousands of times above
\nlevels the EPA considers protective for lifetime exposure.<\/p>\n
\nfor more than a decade and assisting municipalities in reducing industrial
\ndischarges.<\/p>\n
\nhuman carcinogen, DEQ agrees with the EPA that permit limits are necessary to
\nprotect North Carolinians\u2019 drinking water,\u201d a DEQ spokesperson said. \u201cThe
\nDivision of Water Resources continues to monitor wastewater and surface waters
\nacross the Cape Fear River Basin and assist municipalities to minimize or
\nreduce 1,4-dioxane coming from industrial wastewater.\u201d<\/p>\n
\nabout the case, citing ongoing litigation.<\/p>\n
\npermit,\u201d said Michael Rhoney, the city\u2019s water resources director. \u201cThe legal
\nprocess will determine what, if any, limits are lawful and enforceable.
\nAsheboro intends to comply with the results from the legal decision.\u201d<\/p>\n
\nindustries that send waste to the city\u2019s treatment system. Environmental
\nexperts say municipalities can require those industries to pre-treat waste
\nbefore it enters the sewer network\u2014an approach some downstream utilities argue
\nis more cost-effective than adding advanced filtration to drinking-water
\nplants.<\/p>\n
\nhearing to help decide whether to sustain their objection or allow the state to
\nfinalize the permit.<\/p>\n
\nCorporate Training Center, Randolph Community College, 413 Industrial Park
\nAve., Asheboro. Doors open at 5 p.m., and those wishing to speak are encouraged
\nto pre-register through the EPA\u2019s event portal.<\/p>\n