After returning more water quality testing results from the weekend and Monday, the Town of Pittsboro continues to say it is “cautiously optimistic” about its contamination from a recent chemical release.

A concentrated amount, or “slug,” of 1,4 Dioxane released into the Haw River led Pittsboro’s water plant to stop drawing water from its main resource and instead run on the “minimum amount” needed on Thursday. Rapid tests taken over the weekend after receiving an alert from the City of Burlington about the chemical were not processed until Monday. In those weekend results, Pittsboro reported a low, traceable concentration in its composite water samples and Monday’s tests revealed similar levels in its finished water grab samples.

A release from the town Monday night said based on those levels, officials and water quality staff believe Pittsboro “successfully maintained [the] water supply while limiting the uptake of the substance.”

“Further,” Pittsboro’s release continued, “it appears the slug of 1,4 dioxane has passed by the Town, the portion that made it into our system is decreasing, and any remaining 1,4 dioxane is likely heavily diluted or moved downstream from the heavy rain over the weekend. During the next few days, tank concentrations may increase and decrease. This variation is expected as finished water at a higher concentration mixes with existing water within the tanks. These numbers will change based on the concentration of 1,4 dioxane in the finished water, moving upwards or downwards based on this number, but the focus is on the raw and finished water concentrations decreasing over time.”

Monday’s release said town officials would be in contact with Burlington officials on Tuesday to see whether the city — whose wastewater treatment plant was the source of the 1,4 dioxane — is similarly seeing decreases in their effluent. Pairing those results with continued testing results from the Haw River and Pittsboro’s water plant will lead to the town returning its water intake to normal levels in the coming days.

Until then, however, the town government said it will still be “only pulling minimal water from the Haw River until [it is] sure this event” is over. Pittsboro continued to ask its residents and water customers to reduce or eliminate non-essential water uses and suggested residents who need treated water get some from free at the Chatham Marketplace at 480 Hillsboro Street. People who bring their own bottles and jugs can fill them up with reverse osmosis and ultraviolet light filtered water for free. The Chatham Marketplace’s hours are from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Sunday.

 

Photo via the Chatham News + Record.

Chapelboro.com does not charge subscription fees, and you can directly support our efforts in local journalism here. Want more of what you see on Chapelboro? Let us bring free local news and community information to you by signing up for our biweekly newsletter.

Related Stories
‹
While Highlighting Pittsboro's Leadership, State and Local Leaders Call for Better Water Quality
North Carolina elected officials recently held a press conference with Pittsboro leaders to tout the need for more water quality regulation.
Pittsboro Shares Updates on Latest 1,4 Dioxane Testing as Weekend Begins
UPDATE: The Town of Pittsboro shared an update Friday evening, saying trace amounts of 1,4 dioxane were returned in rapid tests taken from the raw water intake on Friday morning — leading officials to believe the chemical slug has reached the town. The results from Wednesday and Thursday, which Pittsboro’s received Friday, came back with […]
Pittsboro Releases Water Quality Test Results From New Filter System
The Town of Pittsboro invested heavily in a granular activated carbon filter system, or GAC filter, to try lowering some of the forever chemicals that are not yet regulated. After more than one month of being operational, the local government has shared some test results to highlight the system. Pittsboro commissioned samples to be taken […]
Pittsboro in Final Stage of Activating New Filter at Water Treatment Plant
As water quality continues to be a top issue in Pittsboro, the town’s Public Information Officer Colby Sawyer spoke with 97.9 The Hill’s Andrew Stuckey on Tuesday, August 2. He discussed the town’s new Granulated Active Carbon filtration system at its treatment plant, which is set to go online Friday. The following is an edited […]
Water Quality Activists React to Pittsboro’s Decision to Investigate Polluters
From Taylor Heeden, Chatham News + Record Staff Pittsboro resident and Clean Haw River co-founder Katie Bryant was preparing to celebrate her birthday on June 17 in a unique way — attending a national conference in Wilmington about PFAS pollutants with representatives from the Environmental Protection Agency and N.C.’s Dept. of Environmental Quality. What Bryant didn’t […]
Town of Pittsboro Buys Land on JA Farrell Street for New Town Hall Building
The Pittsboro Board of Commissioners officially approved the purchase of property at 205 JA Farrell Street Monday, with the end goal being to construct a new Town Hall building on the site. The current Pittsboro Town Hall is located at 287 East Street, Suite 221. That site has served as the Town Hall since January […]
Here's How You Can Help Orange, Chatham Locals Affected by Tropical Depression Chantal
In the wake of historic rains and floods brought on by Tropical Depression Chantal, many in the Orange County community are in need of help — and many of their peers are looking for ways to help. Some residents and small businesses launched their own fundraisers in the aftermath, which people can seek out. Chapelboro […]
'We've Made Real Progress': Kyle Shipp Files to Run for Second Term as Pittsboro Mayor
Pittsboro Mayor Kyle Shipp will seek another term in the role, as he filed to run for re-election on Tuesday. Shipp ran unopposed in his first mayoral campaign, as he succeeded Cindy Perry in 2023 after serving four years as a town commissioner and earning Perry’s endorsement. This will be the first mayoral term for […]
Photo Gallery: Tropical Depression Chantal Causes Floods In Chapel Hill, Carrboro, Hillsborough, and Chatham County
Here's Chapelboro's photo gallery of flooding and aftermath, featuring images gathered from Chapel Hill, Carrboro, Hillsborough, and Chatham County.
Body of Missing Fisherman Recovered on Friday, Says Chatham County Sheriff's Office
After searching Thursday evening and early Friday morning, the Chatham County Sheriff's Office said first responders recovered the body of a drowned fisherman just south of Jordan Lake.
›