CFPUA Sends New PFAS Findings to NCDEQ, NCDHHS
As part of its response to the discovery of PFAS compounds in the Cape Fear River, CFPUA entered into a contract with UNCW to search for other per-fluorinated compounds that may not have been identified yet. Sampling began on November 11, 2017 and continued through Spring 2018 at locations up and down the Cape Fear River and in select parts of CFPUA’s water distribution system.
CFPUA has received a findings summary from Dr. Ralph Mead of UNCW’s Chemistry and Biochemistry Department. The one-page summary details major findings, which includes the detection of three previously unreported PFAS compounds in CFPUA finished water. These compounds were detected using highly advanced techniques at the UNCW laboratory. Authentic testing standards, which would allow Dr. Mead and his colleagues to measure the levels of these compounds have not yet been purchased or made. As a result, we do not know what the levels of these compounds in finished drinking water are.
This week, CFPUA sent these findings to our partners at North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality and North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services. We have asked that they review the findings and immediately make CFPUA aware of any implications they have may have on public health or on our drinking water treatment process.
We will continue to keep the public updated on this issue as researchers at UNCW make progress in measuring these new compounds. For information on our most recent testing results for GenX and other PFAS compounds, see our Emerging Compounds webpage.
CFPUA Posts Community Meetings Presentation to Website
If you were unable to attend one of CFPUA’s four community meetings on PFAS and the Sweeney Water Treatment Plant, the presentation is now available on our website. The presentation provides insight into the regulatory framework around water, and details CFPUA actions to address PFAS compounds in drinking water.