National PFAS Update
On April 10th, 2024, the EPA announced a drinking water regulation for 6 types of PFAS. This new rule requires public water systems to begin monitoring these PFAS, provide the public with information on the levels of the listed PFAS in their drinking water and to begin implementing solutions to reduce PFAS to allowable levels in municipal water.
PFAS Update in NC
At the 2022 National PFAS conference, North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality Secretary Elizabeth Biser announced the formation of the DEQ Applied Research Fellowship in partnership with the North Carolina Collaboratory to address PFAS. CCRW Board Member and Duke University Associate Professor, Dr. Lee Ferguson, served as a 2022 fellow to assist DEQ with PFAS-related laboratory methods, data analysis, and field sampling, along with Dr. Jamie DeWitt from East Carolina University.
“The Faculty Fellowship program is an outstanding collaboration between the NC Policy Collaboratory and the NC DEQ. It represents an opportunity for direct and substantive collaboration between academic researchers and state agency scientists and regulators, with the express goal of improving drinking water quality for all North Carolinians. The inaugural class of fellows includes internationally recognized leaders in the field of PFAS fate, effects, and analysis, and I’m honored to be included among these outstanding researchers. I look forward to working closely with Secretary Biser and her team in the fall as we strive to make NC’s drinking water the cleanest in the nation.”
-Dr. Lee Ferguson, Duke University Associate Professor, Coastal Carolina Riverwatch Board Director and PFAS Advisor
Current Research:
PFAS and Heavy Metal Contamination in North Carolina Farm Raised and Wild Caught Oyster Populations
CCRW is currently participating in a research project in partnership with Duke University’s Dr. Lee Ferguson and Heileen Hsu-Kim, to analyze PFAS and heavy metal contamination in wild and farm-raised oysters across the White Oak River Basin. Sampling was conducted by Duke University PhD student, Caroline Zuber, assisted by CCRW intern, Caroline Sevier. This study is still ongoing and expected to wrap up in 2025. Results and an assessment will be released upon its completion.
Learn more about this project here.
Past Research:
PFAS Research and Engagement Work
In October 2022, Waterkeeper Alliance released an analysis of American waterways that sounded the alarm on a PFAS pollution emergency. Testing 114 waterways from across the country, 83% were found to contain at least one type of PFAS.
Students from the Duke University Engage program (pictured), joined the White Oak Waterkeeper in PFAS sampling of White Oak surface waters, up and downstream of Maysville. We found that the surface waters around Maysville NC did not have any detectable levels of PFAS, as of the summer of 2022.
The Town of Maysville closed their drinking water well for the town and began receiving water from Jones County. As of December 2023, The Town of Maysville reopened their water treatment system, with new PFAS removal technology funded by grants from the EPA, NC General Assembly, and USDA.
More information on this collaborative program.
White Oak River Basin PFAS Research
As part of a Waterkeepers Carolina coalition project, CCRW collected surface water samples across the White Oak River Basin’s White Oak, New, Newport, and North rivers.
- Two samples were collected downstream of USAS New River in the SW Creek.
- One sample was collected downstream of Bogue Airfield in Bogue Sound, across from Emerald Isle.
- One sample was collected downstream of Onslow Landfill in the Blue Creek that runs through the City of Jacksonville.
- One sample was collected downstream of the Newport Wastewater Treatment Plant outfall in Calico Creek.
- One sample was from the Beaufort Wastewater Treatment Plant outfall in Taylors Creek, across from Carrot Island.
Based on this sampling, the results show that there are detectable levels of PFOAs and PFOSs in the surface waters around the White Oak River Basin. These levels are relatively low compared to other places in the State, however some are still above the EPA and State standards.
Special thanks to our partners, City of Jacksonville Stormwater and Habitat Protection, and Deric Rush, WITN for covering the New River story.
If you are interested in viewing the test results, please request them from Waterkeeper@coastalcarolinariverwatch.org.
PFAS in Foam Research
CCRW is participating in a study with the University of Florida measuring PFAS in coastal/riverbank foam. This research facility works on measuring per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in a wide variety of environmental matrices (e.g., soils, sediments, water, seagrasses, and various biota).
For more information about these programs, please email Waterkeeper@coastalcarolinariverwatch.org
photo provided by Dr. John A. Bowden
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