New worries about water contamination at NC site

FAYETTEVILLE, NC (AP) — Officials say groundwater contamination from a former textile plant in Fayetteville is three times deeper than they first thought.

The state is using a new way to protect a source of city drinking water.

The Fayetteville Observer reported that solvents from the closed Texfi Industries plant are now as deep as 30 feet, not the 10 feet originally thought.

A nearby water treatment facility is one of two that serve almost 200,000 residents. Officials say no contamination has been found in drinking water.

As a precaution, the state will build a 10-foot-deep trench beside a tank that stores water to intercept any tainted groundwater.

The contamination was first detected in the mid-1990s. The Texfi plant closed in 1999, and its owner declared bankruptcy. The city now owns the site.
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Information from: The Fayetteville Observer, http://www.fayobserver.com

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