Cape Fear Riverkeeper responds to report of toxin in area water supply

WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) — The Cape Fear Riverkeeper is responding to a recent report about a toxin found in the area’s drinking water.

Last week, the StarNews reported that GenX, a chemical replacement for a key ingredient in Teflon, has been found in the drinking water system of the Cape Fear Public Utility Authority.

Cape Fear Riverkeeper Kemp Burdette said in a news release the revelation that toxic GenX from Dupont’s discharge into the Cape Fear River – upstream of the drinking water supply for hundreds of thousands of us – is a stark and frightening reminder that our health is tied directly to the health of our river.

“Clearly this discharge of GenX must stop – immediately, until we know more about the impacts,” Burdette said. “Federal and state regulators need to step in and require that DuPont fully disclose the details of its GenX discharge.

Burdette said Dupont, as the source of the hazardous discharge, needs to pay for increased monitoring and research on the impacts on GenX.

“But the problem is bigger than this most recent incident,” Burdette said. “Sadly, GenX is not the only pollutant regularly discharged into the river. The river, our drinking water supply, needs protection.”

Burdette said treating water, even with advanced treatment processes, is only treating the symptoms of the problem, not the problem itself.

“In today’s political climate, nationally and here in North Carolina, there is a clear agenda underway to weaken environmental protection laws, defund regulatory agencies, and scale back programs designed to protect and improve our environment,” Burdette said. “Clearly, placing an entire water supply in jeopardy demonstrates why this trend must be reversed. Our health and the health of our children hang in the balance.”