After Chemours stops GenX release, DEQ won't pull permit

Officials at the Department of Environmental Quality warned Chemours in early September that they could suspend the chemical firm's wastewater permit within two months if it didn't stop discharging a collection of fluorinated compounds into the river, which serves as the primary source of drinking water for Brunswick, Bladen, New Hanover and Pender counties. The compounds, which include GenX, are unregulated, largely unstudied and have unclear impacts on human health.

Timeline: Tracking GenX contamination in NC

After a partial consent order from a Bladen County court, the company said it would capture wastewater generated from industrial processes that generate the chemicals as byproducts, effectively ending their release into the river.

DEQ Division of Water Resources Deputy Director Linda Culpepper said in a letter to the company dated Tuesday that, although the agency concluded that it's "not necessary" to suspend Chemours' permit, regulators will continue to monitor the measures required under the order.

State officials are still reviewing the company's renewal application for its permit, which expired in November 2016. The company can continue to operate while the permit is under review.

"People deserve to know the water they are drinking is safe, and we are doing everything in our power to make sure it is," DEQ Secretary Michael Regan said in a press release. "We have ordered Chemours to stop releasing these compounds, and we will continue to scrutinize the company’s actions to ensure they are meeting all of our demands to protect water quality."

In the release, DEQ said it will take "appropriate steps" if the company fails to meet the state's demands to halt the release of fluorinated chemicals in the future.

The state in recent weeks has directed Chemours to supply bottled water to users of 35 private drinking water wells near its Fayetteville Works plant after sampling showed GenX at levels higher than the state's health threshold of 140 parts per trillion. DEQ also announced it would test the water at two nearby elementary schools and a high school.

Meanwhile, the company is facing multiple lawsuits from citizens and the Cape Fear Public Utility Authority, which supplies drinking water to customers in the Wilmington area.

The company responded to a request for comment Tuesday afternoon with a statement that they've repeated without elaboration over the last few months.

"We continue to work closely with local, state and federal officials to determine the appropriate next steps," company spokesman Gary Cambre wrote in an email.