Keep toxic pollution out of NC drinking water | Southern Environmental Law Center

Stand up against toxic pollution of NC drinking water

North Carolina is proposing to adopt a set of polluter-written rules that require no reduction of toxic PFAS and cancer-causing 1,4-dioxane pollution in our drinking water throughout the state. Under the rules, industry could increase harmful pollutionwithout consequence, threatening millions of North Carolinians. Stopping PFAS and 1,4-dioxane pollution at the source is safer and more cost-effective for families and communities, but under these rules polluters get a free pass to release toxic chemicals into our rivers for decades.

To put it simply, these polluter-written rules don’t stop toxic chemicals from getting into our drinking water — and it’s North Carolina families who will pay the price.

PFAS and 1,4-dioxane are not removed by conventional water treatment so it is essential that state and cities stop this industrial pollution at the source and keep these chemicals out of our drinking water supplies in the first place. Industry can use technology to remove PFAS and 1,4-dioxane. And cities are required to make their industrial customers control toxic pollution before it enters their wastewater plants and ultimately flows into downstream water supplies. Our state should be adopting rules that require polluters to take these commonsense actions – not letting industry pollute our rivers without consequence.

Members of the North Carolina Environmental Management Commission who were appointed by state legislative leadership asked polluters to write these rules. Help us tell the commission that it should reject these polluter-written rules and, instead, adopt rules that protect people over polluters’ profits.

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NC DEQ

Dear Members of the EMC and DEQ staff,

My name is {user_data~First Name} {user_data~Last Name} and I live in {user_data~ZIP Code}. I am urging North Carolina to reject these polluter-written rules and instead adopt health protective water quality standards that would protect people over toxic polluters.

The proposed rules prioritize polluters’ profits over people’s health and lives. The rules require no reduction of toxic PFAS and cancer-causing 1,4-dioxane pollution in our drinking water throughout North Carolina. To make matters worse, the rules do not set any consequences if industries increase toxic pollution in the water our families drink. PFAS and 1,4-dioxane pollution can and should be stopped at the source so that the polluter pays for their chemical pollution instead of our families and communities. 
 
These industrial chemicals are not removed by conventional water treatment. It is therefore safer and more cost-effective for our families and communities if polluters stop their own pollution before it contaminates our drinking water supplies and causes harm.  
 
Controlling pollution at the source is possible. Industry can use technology to remove PFAS and 1,4-dioxane. And cities are required to make their industrial customers control toxic pollution before it enters their wastewater plants and ultimately flows into downstream rivers. North Carolina should be adopting rules requiring these common-sense actions – not letting industry pollute our rivers without consequence for decades.  
 
You must reject these polluter-written rules and, instead, adopt health protective water quality standards for PFAS and 1,4-dioxane. Doing so will protect people over polluters.

{user_data~First Name} {user_data~Last Name}
{user_data~City}, {user_data~State} {user_data~ZIP Code}

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