FAYETTEVILLE, N.C. (WTVD) — North Carolina has reached a nearly $600 million settlement with chemical manufacturers DuPont and Chemours, marking the largest environmental damage payment in state history.
People in affected areas say the settlement is a long-awaited step, but concerns remain about how it will translate into clean water for those impacted by so-called “forever chemicals.”
Carrol Olinger, who says she’s worked for years at a PFAS-contaminated school and now undergoes regular dialysis, questioned the plan for the funds.
“What are they going to do with that money? Are they going to put reverse osmosis systems or some kind of filtration system?” Olinger said.
“I was generally healthy. And now I’m not. Go to dialysis three times a week, 4 hours and 15 minutes on the machine,” she added.
According to North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality (NCDEQ) Secretary Reid Wilson, “Roughly 3.5 million North Carolinians currently drink water, with PFOA levels above federal health standards in drinking water. That’s one out of every three people in this state.”
In 2017, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) found that Chemours dumped PFAS into the Cape Fear River, which supplies drinking water to half a million residents.
The $455 million settlement forces chemical companies to pay for years of damage and clean-up, said North Carolina Attorney General Jeff Jackson.
“This settlement is at least 20 times what the EPA was able to get for our state,” Jackson said. $380 million will be divided among 11 counties, including Cumberland, to fund water system improvements.
The $380 million will be divided among 11 counties, including Cumberland, to fund water system improvements.
“The ground that we’re standing on, we’re building phase one of the Grays Creek water system, more than five miles of water, main clean water for more than 2 to 300 homes. We’ve secured $5 million in state and federal funding for phase two as well,” said Cumberland County Chairman Kirk deViere.
The settlement also reinforces the state’s ongoing enforcement efforts.
Under the 2019 consent order, Chemours has stopped discharging highly contaminated wastewater from its Fayetteville Works facility, constructed a mile-long subsurface barrier wall, installed multiple treatment systems, and sampled nearly 27,500 wells in southeastern North Carolina for PFAS contamination. The company has also offered clean drinking water to thousands of residents.
Cumberland County resident Kristie Allen said, “They need to make sure that it translates into the infrastructure, into safe water, so that our communities and our people know that they have access to safe drinking water.”
Chemours will pay half of the settlement, while DuPont and Corteva will cover the rest. The companies are also required to install additional pollution control technology.
In a statement on its website, Chemours emphasized its progress, saying, “The settlement recognizes the significant investments and progress made under the 2019 Consent Order with the State of North Carolina, including substantial reductions in PFAS emissions from Fayetteville Works.”
The settlement will be paid over 15 years.
Olinger, who will be in her 70s by then, is thinking about the next generation. “I want my grandchildren and great grandchildren, if I have any, by then to be able to not have to worry about taking a bath, drinking water out of the faucet.”
The Cape Fear River serves more than 500,000 people and businesses downstream.
Chemours reports it has already spent nearly $1.2 billion complying with state orders, with another $320 million expected.
The EPA’s earlier deal with Chemours this year promised only $90 million in environmental projects spread across three states, with no guarantee any would benefit North Carolina.
Other PFAS lawsuits are ongoing, including a case by Cape Fear Public Utility Authority seeking further clean-up funds for Wilmington and New Hanover County, and six separate cases against other manufacturers of PFAS-containing firefighting foam.
A town hall meeting hosted by the state health department is scheduled for next Tuesday in Cumberland County to address community concerns.
ALSO SEE | Our America: Trouble On Tap | Life with Forever Chemicals | Full Episode
Episode 1 of “Our America: Trouble On Tap” takes a look at per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances contamination in North Carolina. We travel to Cape Fear, North Carolina, often referred to as ground zero for PFAS water contamination or water polluted by toxic “forever chemicals.”
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