CFPUA board chairman’s July 20 GenX morning update

July 20, 2017

WWAY News,

Mike Brown, CFPUA Board chairman, will provide two daily updates—one morning and one afternoon—with information on activity surrounding GenX. Updates will be provided each weekday. Below please find Chairman Mike Brown’s morning update on GenX test results from the Sweeney plant and the Richardson plant and Governors Coopers’ Wilmington visit on Monday.

As released last night, CFPUA received tests yesterday for samples taken last week. The water samples results are as follows:

July 7: 132 ppt
July 10: 145 ppt
July 12: 122 ppt

In keeping with NC DHHS’ advisory – which is the only measure CFPUA is able to operate under at this time—we reported that the July 10^th sample is above the acceptable ppt level.

It is important to make clear, however, the July 10^th sample was taken during a time period, as indicated above, when it is now known that GenX was being discharged by Chemours into the Cape Fear River.

We remain committed to being open and transparent to the public on this important matter. For that reason, we are reporting this finding.

Within two days, GenX concentrations were back below the recommended 140 ppt. As an added measure of caution, CFPUA has ordered that independent testing by Eurofins be increased from three random samples per week to daily sample testing. We will share more results with the public on future sample tests as soon as they are available.

CFPUA remains committed to providing the highest quality drinking water for our customers. We will continue to prioritize communication and transparency as we seek additional information.

Click here to read the full statement and see the full timeline. These Sweeney plant test results will be posted to the website today. We will share a link in the PM update.

On July 13, CFPUA sampled water at the Richardson Nanofiltration Plant—which serves the free water station at Ogden Park—for GenX. GenX was not detected. This water is supplied by underground aquifers that have not been affected by Chemours’ discharge of GenX. Residential CFPUA customers may fill their clean personal containers at New Hanover County’s Ogden Park near the tennis courts at 615 Ogden Park Drive. This is available daily from 8 am to 8 pm.

The Richardson plant test results will be posted to the website today. We will share a link in the PM update.

A Governor Cooper spokesperson confirmed late yesterday that he will be in Wilmington on Monday to meet with local officials to talk about the State’s next steps to address GenX in the Cape Fear River. We will share additional information as it is available.
CFPUA has launched the first part of our new Drinking Water Quality webpage. This new page gives viewers step-by-step instructions on how to access all of the results of the tests CFPUA is required to run by the State of North Carolina. CFPUA is also in the process of building a web page that will house the results for tests we run that are not required by the state, such as the GenX results. Until that page is built, we will continue to post GenX results on the GenX info page.

To visit our new Drinking Water Quality page, click here.

CFPUA encourages the public to check our website and social media channels for updates as this continues to unfold. We are committed to transparency, and we look forward to continuing our partnership with you through the duration of this process.