It requires Chemours to dramatically reduce GenX air emissions, provide permanent replacement drinking water supplies and pay a civil penalty to DEQ.
“People deserve access to clean drinking water and this order is a significant step in our ongoing effort to protect North Carolina communities and the environment,” said DEQ Secretary Michael S. Regan.
I appreciate the hard work of DEQ’s dedicated and talented staff to help achieve this result.” The order requires Chemours to pay to DEQ a $12 million civil penalty and an additional $1 million for investigative costs.
The consent order includes specific conditions to ensure the protection of human health and the environment.
Among its many requirements, the order states that Chemours must: Provide permanent drinking water supplies in the form of either a public waterline connection or whole building filtration system for those with drinking water wells with GenX above 140 parts per trillion or applicable health advisory.
Provide, install and maintain three under-sink reverse osmosis drinking water systems for well owners with combined PFAS levels above 70 parts per trillion or any individual PFAS compound above 10 parts per trillion.
By Dec. 31, 2019, install a thermal oxidizer to control all PFAS from multiple process streams, demonstrate PFAS reductions at an effectiveness of 99.99 percent efficiency and a 99 percent reduction facility-wide for GenX emissions compared to the 2017 baseline level.
Submit and implement a plan for sampling all process and non-process wastewater and stormwater streams to identify any additional PFAS.
Notify and coordinate with downstream public water utilities when an event at the facility has the potential to cause a discharge of GenX compounds into the Cape Fear River above the health goal of 140 parts per trillion.
Comments on the proposed order will be accepted until Dec. 21.