Reaction to Chemours’ scheduled public information sessions on facility expansion

Wilmington, NC (WWAY)– Chemours wants to expand its manufacturing facility in Bladen County. The company is scheduled to hold two public information meetings to give people an opportunity to learn more about the planned expansion, but some local environment protection organizations are not pleased with the company’s plans.

Ahead of the planned sessions, WWAY spoke with Cape Fear River Watch in Wilmington, and  a New Hanover County resident whose well water was found contaminated with PFAS and GenX after Chemours testing in August.

Chemours will hold two public information session about its plans to expand its manufacturing capabilities at the Fayetteville Works site in Bladen County. The sessions will be held from 5pm-7pm at Bladen Community College on September 20, and at the Leland Cultural Arts Center on September 21.

Cape Fear River Watch executive director, Dana Sargent, expressed concerns about the possible expansion, citing the company’s history of contaminating water in the cape fear river with PFAS, also known as “forever chemicals”.

“It’s despicable that this company, that them and their predecessor contaminated the drinking water supply for about 500,000 people and counting, now that we’re finding more and more personal wells contaminated along with the Cape Fear River, which supplies the drinking water for about 500,000 people, –for them to have the audacity to decide to expand PFAS manufacturing at that site is pretty actually disgusting,” said Dana Sargent, Cape Fear River Watch executive director.

Ruth Arnold, who has lived on Bozeman Road off of Carolina Beach Road for more than 30 years, said she received a letter from Chemours in August, to have her well water tested. Weeks after the testing was completed, she received gallons of water and another letter saying her home’s water source had exceeded the identified PFAS and GenX contamination levels.

Arnold has since placed signs at the entrance of her home and neighborhood, warning others to get their water tested.

“I would go up and down the road and see if  everybody else had, –had their well tested, but a lot of people had not received any kind of letter like we did, and I felt remiss to not tell them that they needed to get their water tested. I felt worried about them, but I wanted people to know, that were on well water, to get their wells tested. To call Chemours, get there wells tested, whether they’ve received a letter or not,” said Ruth Arnold, resident.

According to the Chemours’ news release, at the public information sessions, the company will lay out its plan to increase manufacturing without increasing pollution. Arnold said she plans to attend one of the sessions.

“I’m going to do some more research. I don’t know exactly how I feel. I think, because of all the reading that I’ve done, I don’t know that I have total trust in everything that I’m being told right now,” said Arnold.

This month the North Carolina Department for Environmental Quality released the final permit for Chemours, setting the strongest limits on discharges of toxic PFAS pollution  in the United States. Sargent says Chemours still needs to be held accountable for previous pollution.

“They’ve now imposed limits that follow the law. The law requires this company to use the technology available to reduce discharges, and we know that technology exists to reduce these discharges, and it’s a huge win for the state and for our communities,” said Sargent.

A Chemours spokesperson says the company had no statement about the concerns from local environmental protection organizations.

Cape Fear River Watch says it plans to attend both of Chemours’ public information sessions.