Citizens Call on EPA to Uphold Limits on 1,4 Dioxane in NC Drinking Water

At a hearing held last week by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in Asheboro, citizens called on the agency to continue its support for limits on the release into drinking water sources of a toxic chemical suspected of causing cancer in humans.

Suspected Carcinogen, Denied Permit

The chemical in question, 1,4-dioxane, is a likely carcinogen that isn’t removed by conventional drinking-water treatment systems. North Carolina has some of the highest levels of 1,4-dioxane in our drinking water across the nation. At the hearing, dozens of residents and business representatives who draw water from the river downstream of the Asheboro wastewater discharge asked for continued EPA support for cleaning up that discharge. EPA in January objected to North Carolina’s issuance of a permit for the plant without controls on 1,4-dioxane.

“DEQ (NC Dept. of Environmental Quality) tried to do the right thing and protect North Carolinians from toxic 1,4-dioxane coming from the city of Asheboro, but three cities tried to overturn our water protection laws in an effort to shield their industrial customers rather than people downstream,” said Jean Zhuang, senior attorney at the Southern Environmental Law Center (SELC). “EPA’s [January 2025] letter sets the record straight that existing law protects people against pollution, making clear that the North Carolina Administrative Law Judge was wrong in siding with polluters and that DEQ must control toxic 1,4-dioxane pollution. Controlling toxic chemicals at the source is the only way to ensure polluters bear the burden of their pollution, not families and communities downstream.”

Pro-Polluter Allowed Suspected Carcinogens

Last September, the then-chief administrative law judge for North Carolina, notoriously pro-polluter Donald van der Vaart, struck down DEQ’s attempt to include limits on 1,4-dioxane in the water quality discharge permit it issued to the City of Asheboro’s wastewater discharge plant. His “reasoning” was that the law only authorizes limits on carcinogens, not on “suspected” carcinogens.

The source of the toxin in the treatment plant’s effluent is one of the industrial dischargers into the city sewage system, plastics manufacturer StarPet Inc. In June of this year, SELC filed suit in federal court against Asheboro and StarPet for their failure to stop discharges of 1,4-dioxane into the Haw River. SELC filed the case on behalf of the Haw River Assembly and Cape Fear River Watch.

“Not only have StarPet and Asheboro done nothing to stop their toxic chemical pollution into the drinking water for North Carolinians living from Sanford to Wilmington – they have the nerve to increase it,” said SELC attorney Jean Zhuang. “Over the past year, StarPet and the city of Asheboro have doubled down on their cancer-causing 1,4-dioxane pollution, putting thousands of North Carolina families at risk. Asheboro and StarPet’s toxic pollution is illegal, and we will hold them accountable.” 
The Haw River Assembly discusses the problem further in its alert on the October 22 hearing.

Take Action! Submit Your Comment Today

The EPA hearing docket on this issue remains open to comments until October 31. Submit comments in support of the EPA objection to the permit until it includes limits on 1,4-dioxane in the
discharge.