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 non-detection levels of 1,4 dioxane, as did the tests taken from the town’s treated water. The town government said it is “cautiously optimistic about these results” and has suspended “all water draws” from the Haw River to limit any possible concentrations entering the water supply. Test results will not be returned over the weekend, meaning Pittsboro’s next update on 1,4 dioxane concentrations and how long its water system will run on a minimum supply will come on Monday or Tuesday.

Thursday’s original story about the 1,4 dioxane release and alert can be found below.

The Town of Pittsboro is awaiting water quality test results after receiving an alert from the City of Burlington over a high concentration of 1,4 dioxane on Wednesday.

A release from the town said the staff of Pittsboro’s water plant began its response as soon as it learned of the latest discharge of the chemical from the South Burlington Wastewater Treatment Plant into the Haw River. Pittsboro said its plant stopped pulling water from the river and began collecting samples for rapid testing. Results are expected to be processed on early Friday to share the levels of concentration of 1,4 Dioxane in the town’s main water source.

Wednesday’s alert from Burlington is the most recent of several releases of 1,4 dioxane into the Haw River. The solvent, which the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency lists as a likely human carcinogen, has frequently affected Pittsboro as it moves down the Haw River from either the City of Greensboro or Burlington. The town’s latest scare came in September, when Burlington alerted Pittsboro eight days after a release had started and the water supply saw high concentrations. The “slug,” or part of water with high levels of the chemical, often take a week to travel from Burlington to Pittsboro – so town officials said Thursday they are “fortunate” to have gotten the alert earlier.

A view of the Haw River, Pittsboro’s drinking water source. (Photo via the Chatham News + Record.)

“We hope this early notification has provided a warning in enough time for us to take protective action,” said Colby Sawyer, the Pittsboro Public Information Officer & Emergency Management Coordinator.

Beyond ceasing to pull water from the Haw River, Pittsboro said its water plant will continue increasing testing and sampling its quality to determine when the slug of 1,4 Dioxane has passed the town. The town staff will operate the plan around the clock and draw “only the minimum amount need to keep the water system functional.”

Because of that lower amount of water being pulled, the local government is asking Pittsboro residents to consider conserving water by cutting back on “non-essential water uses” — like washing cars and watering lawns. Additionally, the town said it would offer free drinking water treated with reserve osmosis and advance filtration systems to community members who are water customers of Pittsboro. The Chatham Marketplace at 480 Hillsboro Street will make the water available to anyone with their own jugs and bottles to fill during its daily business hours of 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. (with hours of 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Sundays).

More about the 1,4 Dioxane release can be found on the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality’s website. Risk management tips and guidelines from the EPA about the chemical can be found here.

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