DEQ begins testing water in Sutton Lake

NEW HANOVER COUNTY, NC (WWAY) — The North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality says it began testing the water in Sutton Lake near Wilmington Saturday after the Cape Fear River breached a dam around the coal ash pits.

The Division of Water Resources began sampling at the south end of Sutton Lake.

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A lab in Raleigh is analyzing the samples, testing for a suite of 27 heavy metals.

The results take four to five days to get back. Results for Saturday’s samples are expected by the end of the week.