By Erin Smith
The North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality took steps Thursday to begin the process of revoking Chemours wastewater permit and their wastewater discharge permit. State officials announced the move as a result of the company’s failure to comply with its permit and a failure to report a chemical spill in early October at its Fayetteville site. The action could see the company’s discharge permit permanently revoked.
State officials announced the suspension will take place beginning Nov. 30th.
State officials also note in a letter sent to Chemours on Thursday afternoon the revocation does not apply to DuPont or Kuraray. According to the letter sent to Chemours, state officials have requested Chemours to stop discharging GenX and other fluorinated compounds into the Cape Fear River. You can read the letter in its entirety here.
The Environmental Protection Agency notified state officials in October of elevated levels of fluorinated compounds in the Cape Fear River. State officials learned a chemical spill had ocurred at the Chemours Fayetteville Works plant in early October; however, company officials failed to properly notify the state.
The letter for the Department of Environmental Quality states, “The actions by Chemours have thwarted DWR’s efforts to address the numerous and complex issues associated with the Chemours discharge through a fact-based inquiry.”
The letter also makes clear that other wastewater discharge streams from Dupont and Kuraray will not be impacted by the revocation. The letter reads, “The partial revocation will not apply to other permitted waste streams, including process wastewater from the Kuraray and DuPont facilities.
“The positive part about this is this is the first time I’ve seen a public acknowledgment of a partial revocation,” said Bladen County Economic Development Director Chuck Heustess.
“It is unacceptable that Chemours has failed to disclose information required by law, information we need in order to protect the public,” said Michael S. Regan, secretary of the N.C. Department of Environmental Quality “We’re taking action to suspend Chemours’ wastewater permit and moving to permanently revoke it because the company has repeatedly failed to follow the law.”
State officials have determined that Chemours’ violation of the reporting requirements in the permit following the Oct. 6 spill are sufficient basis for the revocation of the permit to discharge process wastewater. The Department of Environmental Quality will continue to collect and test water samples from the Cape Fear River including at the Chemours outfall.
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