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Greensboro reports another 1,4-Dioxane discharge in Cape Fear River Basin

Emily Sutton assesses the water level of the Haw River before she begins collecting samples. KERI BROWN/WFDD

A high level of a chemical that federal regulators call a likely human carcinogen has once again been discharged into the Cape Fear River Basin.

The city of Greensboro says this latest release of 1,4-Dioxane pollution was discovered early last week.

On November 3, Greensboro's T.Z. Osborne wastewater treatment plant had a high discharge of 1,4-Dioxane to South Buffalo Creek.

It exceeded the level allowed under a special consent agreement between the City of Greensboro and the State Department of Environmental Quality. Some environmental groups are challenging that order. They say it doesn't go far enough to prevent it from happening again.

All of this pollution lands downstream along the Haw River, which is the drinking water source for communities like Pittsboro.

Haw Riverkeeper Emily Sutton says municipalities including the town of Pittsboro weren't notified about the discharge until Monday. She says many municipalities don't have the technology to remove the chemical from drinking water and this latest incident is frustrating.

“This has happened three times since 2019," she says. "And we know that this is going to continue unless they have incentives through penalties or regulatory action to stop these discharges."

Greensboro officials say the 1,4-Dioxane discharge does not affect the city's drinking water supply. City leaders say they are working with state environmental officials and downstream utilities to determine the source of the discharge.

The chemical is used as a solvent in the manufacturing process for textiles, plastics, and other products.

Follow WFDD's  Keri Brown on Twitter @kerib_news

Keri Brown is a multi-award winning reporter and host at 88.5 WFDD. She has been honored with two regional Edward R. Murrow awards for her stories about coal ash, and was named the 2015 radio reporter of the year by the Radio Television Digital News Association of the Carolinas (RTDNAC).Although she covers a variety of topics, her beats are environmental and education reporting.Keri comes to the Triad from West Virginia Public Broadcasting, where she served as the Chief Bureau Reporter for the Northern Panhandle. She produced stories for the state's Public Television and Radio programs and was honored by the West Virginia Associated Press Broadcasters Association for her feature and enterprise reporting.She also served as an adjunct instructor at Wheeling Jesuit University and Bethany College in West Virginia. She worked with the Center for Educational Technologies in Wheeling, WV, and other NASA centers across the country to develop several stories about the use of science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) concepts in the classroom.Keri's journalism career began at WTRF-TV 7 in Wheeling. She worked in several roles at the station, including the head assignment editor. She also was a field producer and assignment manager at WPGH-TV Fox 53 in Pittsburgh.Keri is a graduate of Ohio University. When she's not in the studio or working on a story, she enjoys watching college football with her family, cooking, and traveling.Keri is always looking for another great story idea, so please share them with her. You can follow her on Twitter @kerib_news.

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