Read full article by Steve DeVane (The Fayetteville Observer)

“Potentially harmful compounds have been discovered about nine miles from the Chemours plant, state records show.

The test results from a private well near N.C. 53 northeast of the facility show that contamination has spread farther than previously known. Tests on water from more than 1,000 private wells have found per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), according to a state Department of Environmental Quality spokeswoman…

Chemours is testing for GenX and other PFAS compounds under the conditions of a consent order signed by the company, the state Department of Environmental Quality and Cape Fear River Watch, an environmental group.

State officials started investigating Chemours in June 2017 after the Wilmington Star-News reported that researchers had discovered GenX and similar compounds in the Cape Fear River, downstream from the plant…

The consent order requires Chemours to test private wells for 12 PFAS compounds, including GenX. Earlier tests had only looked for GenX.

Each time GenX or other compounds are found at certain levels, Chemours has to test wells that are a fourth of a mile farther from the plant. Through September, testing had been done about nine miles northeast of the plant and about five miles southwest of the facility, according to state documents. Most of the other testing was within about three miles.

Chemours has sampled about 2,000 wells since the latter half of 2017, according to Lisa Randall, a company spokeswoman.

‘We are currently sampling as many as 200-250 homes per week in all directions around the site, in a very structured way,’ she said in an email response to questions about the testing. ‘We will continue to sample off-site wells until we meet the requirements of the consent order’…

Of the 259 residences with wells that have been tested across the river, 57 are eligible for the filter systems that serve the house and 169 can get the under-sink filters, according to state officials. So far, 18 of the house systems have been installed, while the sink systems have been put in 61 homes.”