Cape Fear River

An effort to order manufacturers of "forever chemicals" to help North Carolina public water systems pay for upgrades to remove contaminants that a company discharged has been renewed in the General Assembly.

The new rules establish legally enforceable levels for six kinds of PFAS. Levels range from four-to-10 parts per trillion. Public water systems across the country have until 2029 to meet these standards.

UNC Chapel Hill researchers have discovered eight types of previously unknown PFAS in the Cape Fear River using a new detection method.

The Environmental Protection Agency says it reversed its decision because Chemours provided inaccurate information to the Netherlands' government about the volume of materials being shipped. This development comes a week after letters from the United Nations accusing Chemours of violating human rights were made public.

Environmental groups are sounding the alarm about a bill moving in the state Senate. They say it could lead to more water pollution and make it easier to build new natural gas pipelines and hog farms.

Chemours isn't the only culprit contaminating the Cape Fear River — and PFAS isn't the only chemical environmentalists are concerned about.

Chemical company Chemours wants to expand existing operations at its Fayetteville Works facility. Chemours is responsible for discharging toxic chemicals known as PFAS into the Cape Fear River.

At issue is whether the state can sue holding companies created by DuPont, which once operated a plant in Fayetteville that's responsible for dumping chemicals into the Cape Fear River.

Chemical company Chemours issued a statement Wednesday morning disputing the scientific data the EPA used as a basis for the health advisory issued for GenX, which the company uses in its products.