PITTSBORO — It’s been five years since researcher Detlef Knappe informed the Pittsboro Board of Commissioners that he had discovered synthetic industrial chemical 1,4-Dioxane in the Haw River, Pittsboro’s source for drinking water.
Knappe, the S. James Ellen Distinguished Professor of Civil, Construction and Environmental Engineering at N.C. State, has spent his career studying unregulated chemicals in waterways and was the first to identify the substance Gen X in Wilmington, which eventually was identified as coming from the Chemours plant in Fayetteville.
Knappe later identified Perfluoroalkyl substances, called PFAS for short, in the Haw. The chemicals collectively are known potential carcinogens — and the source of much gnashing of teeth of local environmentalists and headaches for town officials.
Since then, Pittsboro has been studying and working toward finding a solution to improving the quality of its drinking water.
To start, Pittsboro’s water is fine based on current regulatory standards set by both the state and federal governments. In fact, the Pittsboro water system routinely wins awards for the quality of its water from regulatory agencies including consecutive years of winning the N.C. Area Wide Optimization Awards presented by the N.C. Dept. of Environmental Quality. But these chemicals now being found in the water source are unregulated — which means that while there are guidelines in place from the EPA that state the potential danger of these chemicals, there is no limit allowed in drinking water systems, meaning there is no mandate about measuring the volume of them in water supply systems.
The chemicals are often released in the manufacturing of a multitude of products through the wastewater system of the municipality in which the plant operates. They’re found in waterways, the air and also in the products we use every day — everything from cosmetics to frying pans to clothing to the fish that we eat, according to published reports.
In the Haw River, studies and N.C Dept. of Environmental Quality (DEQ) reports have identified several sources of the contaminants upstream of Pittsboro, including industries in Greensboro and Burlington. On June 22, the DEQ issued a draft Special Order by Consent for the treatment plant in Greensboro for 1,4-Dioxane discharges. The purpose of the order is to “reduce the concentrations of 1,4-Dioxane being discharged from the wastewater treatment plant and within two years meet a target of 35 μg/l, based on EPA’s drinking water health advisory, to protect downstream drinking water intakes.”
Because those chemicals have made their way into Pittsboro’s drinking water system, the town has been working to find ways it can improve the water system through its water treatment plant just north of town. Two years ago, it hired CDM Smith, an engineering and construction company which provides solutions in water and other arenas for government and private clients, to assist them with analysis and potential options. As a result, the town is currently testing a pilot program to see if there is a system that can effectively and sustainably remove or reduce the amount of unregulated chemicals in its water.
Judging from conversations from town officials at public meetings over the last two years, solving the problem of unregulated chemicals in the Haw River is much more nuanced that anyone wants to admit. This is an issue in communities across the United States and it will likely take a strategic approach to resolve, officials and experts have repeatedly stated.
If the town decides to install such a system, it is likely to cost between $13 and $24 million depending on which configuration the board of commissioners choose. Though the town is anticipated to grow exponentially over the next 30 years based on projections of the growth of Chatham Park, the current population is just over 2,000 with an annual municipal budget of $10 million. In addition, the town is also in desperate need of an upgraded sewer system to improve and expand capacity. Current figures on that project are estimated to be about $20 million.
In addition to the cost, the system offers its own challenges. Though a water treatment plant system may remove these chemicals from the drinking water, the waste chemicals will need to go somewhere. To this point, CDM Smith acknowledged to the board of commissioners when presenting the pilot study last year that they would be returned to the Haw River as discharge, leaving them in the water system in concentrated levels.
The town’s board has been discussing short-term options for drinking water as well. This includes in-home systems for Pittsboro residents and discussing a filtered water auxiliary station where residents can fill jugs of drinking water that have been filtered using reverse osmosis, one of the systems that has proved to remove these chemicals.
But questions of maintenance and the toll reverse osmosis can take on a water system are also present. Reverse osmosis will remove good chemicals including the bad ones, according to multiple studies. Beneficial elements such as iron, calcium, manganese, and fluoride may be removed, depending on the system used. As a result, when used for cooking, it can cause loss of “essential elements from foods,” according to multiple studies.
The town has been mulling several options for its water quality. In addition to testing water treatment plant equipment, the town is researching the potential for a regional water and wastewater system in collaboration with the city of Sanford.
The town has already been engaged with Sanford for the production of a sewer line down U.S. Hwy. 15-501 from Pittsboro to Sanford. The line, which has been seeking permitting from the N.C. Dept. of Environmental Quality since 2016, would expand the town’s sewer capacity by at least 2 million gallons a day, nearly tripling its current dwindling capacity.
At the same time, there have been some discussions about potentially placing a water line at the same time to secure water from the Deep River to the town of Pittsboro for its drinking water. To do this would require a special permit for an “inter-basin” crossing. The town is seeking a consultant who might be able to create a regional water/wastewater system between the two towns, creating a cooperative relationship, easing some of the permitting issues.
The cost of creating such a system, as well as the complexities, are not yet known.
The extent to which Pittsboro will pay for the discharges upstream are yet to be seen, but it continues to study and invest as it struggles to find a solution. Commissioners are expected to continue discussions moving forward at the board’s next meeting on July 27. In addition, the board will likely hear the results of the pilot program during its first meeting in August.
All the while, environmental groups continue to apply pressure on the town to act. The Haw River Assembly recently distributed copies of a letter it sent to the Pittsboro Board of Commissioners following the release of the most recent study showing elevated levels of unregulated chemicals in the Haw River. The letter asks the board to do three things:
• Actively pursue an end to upstream discharges by engaging in conversations with Burlington, Greensboro, and Reidsville elected officials and staff
• Pursue drinking water treatment methods to supply safe water to all residents of Pittsboro through options previously discussed, and provide short term safe drinking water to all Pittsboro residents now. Engage with state legislators and agency staff for financial assistance
• Actively engage with DEQ and state legislators to invoke laws to protect downstream drinking water users impacted by PFAS contamination throughout the state.
While the Pittsboro board has been pursuing options for short- and long-term solutions for the drinking supply, the board requested that its Water Quality Task Force, created late last year, offer recommendations on engagement with upstream dischargers and state regulatory bodies. The task force, which was set to disband on June 30 when it was created in December, had not yet provided those recommendations. The water quality task force and its efficacy will likely be a topic the next board meeting as the board technically no longer exists because of the original time limit for the group, while the concerns of the board over water quality remain.
Casey Mann can be reached at CaseyMann@Chathamnr.com.
