Alamance County’s health department will convene a community meeting in Eli Whitney next week to brief residents on a potentially hazardous chemical that has turned up in the local water supply.
The focus of this meeting, according to the health department, is the discovery of PFAS during a recent water quality test that Eli Whitney’s fire department has conducted as part of a statewide initiative.
Known formally as per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, PFAS refers to a broad class of manmade compounds that appear in everything from nonstick cookware and cosmetics to the foam used to fight fires. Due to their water-resistant properties, these so-called “forever chemicals” tend to linger in the natural environment and, in some cases, pose an increased risk for cancer and other health problems.
In order to get a better grasp on PFAS levels in rural parts of North Carolina, the General Assembly has commissioned water quality tests at more than 400 fire departments, including the volunteer agency that serves the unincorporated community of Eli Whitney. According to the county’s health department, a recent test at the fire department’s well at 7618 NC 87 South revealed the presence of PFAS at levels above 1,000 parts per trillion.
“The research team overseeing the firefighter research program considered these levels high enough to require caution,” the health department added in a statement on Wednesday, “and recommended steps to reduce exposure.”
Prior to these state-sponsored tests, the presence of PFAS in the water supply was already a concern for some communities along the Haw River. Officials in Pittsboro have been especially alarmed about this chemical hazard, which they attribute, in part, to discharges from industrial plants in Greensboro and Burlington. The complaints of these riverside hamlets have been amplified by federal regulators, who announced new quality standards for PFAS in the spring of 2024.
In response to these heightened concerns, the city of Burlington has introduced new monitoring procedures for PFAS at its wastewater treatment facilities. The city has also received funds from the state to road test a cutting-edge method for PFAS removal that a locally-based company has recently developed.
The county, for its part, has been less directly involved in these decontamination efforts since it doesn’t provide public water or sewer to any of its residents. The recent test results in Eli Whitney have nevertheless put the issue on the notice board at the local health department while sounding alarm bells at the rural fire station that serves this community.
According to the health department, the fire department’s board of directors was briefed on the state’s test results earlier this week. In the meantime, the health department hopes to bring the public up to speed at an upcoming gathering on Tuesday, February 10 in the Eli Whitney Community Building at 3917 Greensboro-Chapel Hill Road in Snow Camp.
Slated for 7:00 p.m., this public meeting will feature a panel of “subject matter experts” as well as information about programs that can help residents grapple with this potential threat.
“Homes adjacent to the fire station may qualify to have their wells tested for PFAS at no cost through the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality,” the health department went on to note in its statement. “If elevated PFAS levels are found in adjacent homes, homeowners may also qualify for in-home water filtration.”
