“ST. PAULS — A Robeson County swamp about seven miles from the Chemours chemical plant tested positive for GenX contaminants in March, according to results from the third round of testing well and surface water by the Robeson County Health Department.
The Health Department released the results of the tests conducted March 26 on Thursday.
One well and two bodies of surface water tested positive for levels deemed unsafe for drinking by the North Carolina Division of Environmental Quality. GenX and a related chemical, C8, also were found in Robeson County and Lumberton’s drinking water, but at very low levels.
The Chemours chemical company, formerly owned by DuPont, is located on the Cape Fear River on the Cumberland/Bladen county line. It is about three miles from the Robeson County line and one mile from the Lumber River watershed.
The Division of Environmental Quality began testing private wells near the plant in October. The Health Department began testing in late January.
In the newest tests, the Health Department found GenX in 29 of the 33 wells in northeast Robeson County. Only one well, on Caulder Road, tested at levels the state has deemed unsafe for drinking.
‘This individual lives on Caulder Road and has been provided bottled water by Chemours last week. This is the first verified well in Robeson County that has GenX levels above the safe drinking level established by the state,’ said Bill Smith, county Health Department director.
All 13 ponds and swamps tested contained chemical contaminants. Twenty-four of the 33 wells tested were found to contain C8, an earlier generation chemical used to manufacture Teflon.
Two of the 13 ponds and swamps exceeded the safe limit set by the state.”
Read the full article by Scott Bigelow