We now also realize that New Hanover County and the Cape Fear Public Utility Authority have little real authority concerning what pollutants are dumped into the Cape Fear River above our drinking water intake.
We do little, however, to protect our groundwater.
The county and CFPUA should exercise their powers and work together to further develop the following programs: Wellhead protection regulations to tightly protect the immediate areas around public drinking water wells; Groundwater pumping restrictions to protect the sustainability of public wells; Full disclosure by industries of anticipated groundwater use and other externalities.
Dave Weaver, Wilmington Editor’s note: The writer, a retired New Hanover assistant county manager, serves on the county planning board.
Disparity in health care EDITOR: African-Americans have a higher risk of heart failure than Caucasians, but lower rates of heart transplantation.
This did not occur in North Carolina and the other states that did not opt for the expansion, thus serving as a control group.
Bottled not best option EDITOR: The article “Where does bottled water come from and how is it treated?” (StarNews, June 21) stated that bottled water manufacturers must adhere to FDA regulations, but local residents should be aware those requirements are very limited.
In fact, bottled water is monitored less frequently and for fewer contaminants than public tap water.
While water treated with reverse osmosis prior to bottling may provide temporary peace of mind when high levels of a harmful compound like GenX are found in the local tap water, installing a home filtration system is a more surefooted and sustainable way for residents to protect their health until the Chemours facility’s discharge of GenX is cleaned up once and for all.
Katie Hicks, Asheville Editor’s note: The writer is associate director of Clean Water for North Carolina.