Water samples near Pittsboro show uptick in potentially cancer-causing chemical

Now, town leaders are concerned that test results are going in the wrong direction.

The levels of 1,4-Dioxane found in the Haw River, which serves as Pittsboro's water source, are still well within what the EPA considers safe, but that's small comfort for many residents and others who care about the river's health.

The Haw River has a big thirst to quench, as Pittsboro's population is expected to jump from around 5,000 to around 50,000 in the next decade. That growth is thanks largely to Chatham Park, one of the largest master-planned communities in the state.

Pittsboro 'confident water is safe' after most recent release of contaminant upstream

Mayor James Nass says that's why it's especially critical that his town provides reliably safe drinking water.

On November 8, Greensboro alerted the town that it had discharged wastewater with levels of 1,4-Dioxane, which is more than 20 times what the EPA considers safe in surface water.

This week – after town leaders said they had "dodged a bullet" – raw samples taken from the Haw River show levels of 9.8 micrograms per liter of the chemical. That's nearly five times the level just two days earlier, but still well under the 35 that the EPA advises.

 It is still well under the 35 that the EPA advises.

"That was a concern indeed," said Nass. "When we looked at that, we said 'Wow, this stuff is going in the wrong direction.'"

Greensboro has not identified which of its industrial users dumped the chemical into the water.

Toxic chemical spill affects Pittsboro's drinking water

Elijah Williams, the city's water reclamation manager, said his department has instructed all of its major industrial users to take daily samples of their wastewater.

He says he speaks regularly with Pittsboro town officials about how Greensboro is trying to prevent another discharge.

"They are responsible for what comes through that system," he said.

Emily Sutton, with the Haw River Assembly, said "These spills shouldn't be happening in the first place. We're pushing to remove all of the discharges into the Haw."

Test results show the level of 1,4-Dioxane did go down substantially once the water went through Pittsboro's treatment plant. Town officials say Pittsboro's water is safe to drink, but they will keep monitoring it closely.

They expect to have more water test results any day now and will announce them to the public.