HRA in the News - Times News, Burlington, NC - Burlington's 1,4-dioxane into the Haw River.
Burlington targets company for harmful chemical discharge
TIMES-NEWS STAFF
~3 minutes
BURLINGTON – A local manufacturer is suspected of being behind a sudden spike in a potential cancer-causing chemical in Burlington's sewage, the city said in a press release.
At 1:30 p.m., the Burlington Water Resources Department received results from a wastewater sample taken at 6 a.m. Tuesday showing 1.4-dioxane spike of 545 parts per billion, the release said. A sample taken the day before had just 2.4 parts per billion.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has identified 1,4 dioxane as a likely human carcinogen. It is a clear liquid that is easily mixed with water. Historically, 1,4 dioxane has been used as a solvent stabilizer and is currently used for a wide variety of industrial purposes.
The city has been doing daily sampling of wastewater effluent because of an incident in July 2023 when Apollo Chemical released a similar amount of 1.4-dioxane into the city’s wastewater system, the release said.
After Wednesday's test results, the city instructed Apollo to immediately cease production. City officials met with company officials on Thursday.
City staff immediately contacted the N.C. Department of Environmental Quality and major water uses downriver from where Burlington's treated wastewater is discharged. Staff also notified the Haw River Assembly, with which the city is currently working on separate studies related to PFAS, another potentially carcinogenic chemical.
Burlington has spend $115,000 on its daily testing for 1,4-dioxane, the city said.
Burlington has also been collecting daily samples from Apollo chemical’s wastewater discharges to hold for analysis, and those samples have been sent to a commercial lab for rush analysis, the city said. Burlington will continue its daily sampling protocol and have those sent for rush analysis as well.
Under federal law, Apollo Chemical does not meet the standards of discharge volume or industry type that would require it to be in a regulated pre-treatment program. However, because the 2023 incident effected the city's wastewater discharge, the city has legal standing to put the company under its own pre-treatment program, the city said. That program is waiting state approval of a permit that goes into effect March 1.