After a packed and heated public hearing in Raleigh, state regulators are set to hear more feedback tonight in Wilmington on proposed rules to address PFAS contamination in North Carolina waterways — an issue drawing growing pushback, fear and frustration from residents across the state.
Among those who spoke in Raleigh was Wilmington resident Lindsay Addison, who said she attended that meeting because she could not make the hearing scheduled in her hometown.
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“I would like to see a rule that has teeth, that has consequences for the industries that discharge these chemicals into our water,” Addison said.
PFAS, or per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, are a group of man-made chemicals used in products such as nonstick cookware and firefighting foam. They do not break down easily and have been linked to cancer, fertility problems and other health issues.
North Carolina has been at the center of PFAS contamination for years, particularly along the Cape Fear River, where companies such as Chemours — formerly DuPont — discharged the chemicals into waterways that supply drinking water to downstream communities.
The North Carolina Environmental Management Commission is considering rules that would require certain industries and wastewater systems to monitor PFAS and develop plans to reduce discharges.
But critics say the proposal does not go far enough.
The rules do not set enforceable limits on how much PFAS can be released or include penalties if pollution continues. They also focus on just three types of PFAS — two of which are no longer widely used — raising questions about whether the plan would meaningfully reduce current contamination.
At the Raleigh hearing, speaker after speaker opposed the proposal, with many calling it a “self-regulating” system that allows polluters to continue discharging chemicals without consequences.
Addison said her concerns go beyond the proposed limits — and center on whether some residents are being informed at all.
“My neighbors and I do not have safe drinking water,” Addison said. “No one has told us officially, because we are on a private utility.”
Addison lives in a community served by Carolina Water Service of North Carolina, a private, for-profit utility. She said customers are not clearly notified when PFAS levels exceed federal health advisory guidelines and must search through water quality reports to find that information.
“The least you could do is properly inform us, so we could decide to protect our families,” she said.
Her concerns reflect a broader issue raised by advocates — that residents served by private or smaller water systems may not receive the same level of transparency or protection as those on larger public utilities.
“The burden should not fall on the communities to have to clean this up. It should fall on the polluters,” said Emily Donovan, co-founder of Clean Cape Fear.
Donovan said the proposed rules fail to stop contamination at its source and could leave communities continuing to deal with the consequences.
“We need real, enforceable limits that actually protect people’s health,” Donovan said.
Carolina Water Service of North Carolina said it has been testing for PFAS across its systems since 2019, before federal standards were finalized.
In a statement, the company said it identified 29 system entry points with PFAS levels above the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s current maximum contaminant level and is now working on treatment solutions.
The company said it is in the design phase for projects to address affected sites and is exploring options such as connecting to nearby systems to reduce costs. It also said PFAS results have been included in annual water quality reports and that notification letters were mailed to customers in 2020.
State regulators have said the proposed rules are intended as a first step in addressing PFAS pollution and that monitoring is necessary to better understand the scope of contamination.
The Wilmington hearing is scheduled for 6 p.m. Thursday at City Hall’s Skyline Center, where residents will have another opportunity to weigh in.
Written comments will be accepted through Monday, June 15, via email at publiccomments@deq.nc.gov with the subject "PFAS minimization."
