Myron B. Pitts: GenX brings water concerns to the fore in south Cumberland

I drove out Monday to the Chemours plant off N.C. 87 to see how it’s handling bottled water distribution.
The chemical is manufactured by the plant and has been found in wells and lakes in south Cumberland County and Bladen County.
Signage at the Chemours plant took me right to the bottled water tent in a small parking lot on the plant site.
There were many rows of jugs on tables, sitting across from boxes with more jugs.
Michael Scott, director of the state’s Health and Human Services department, told him the state was disappointed with how Chemours was handling the distribution.
A yard sign across School Road from the Gray’s Creek Recreation Center advertised, “Crystal Water Care: Your Water Treatment Experts.” Taped to the window of the building was an October letter from Cumberland County Schools about community sites that were due for tests.
They included Gray’s Creek and Alderman elementary schools and Marshwood Lake.
Both lakes had amounts above the state’s provisional health goal of 140 parts per trillion.
The two schools are on bottled water.
John Pate has an 11-year-old son at Gray’s Creek Elementary.

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