Well owners in disbelief about NC’s decision to lift tainted water warning

Hundreds of well owners near Duke Energy coal ash pits received letters last spring from state health officials warning them not to drink their own well water. Last week, a letter signed by Randall Williams, the state health director, and Tom Reeder, the assistant state secretary for the environment, lifted the warning.

Now, well owners such as Bonita Queen, Deborah Graham and Gail Johnston, who live near coal ash pits, say they don’t know what to believe. Their wells still contain hexavalent chromium, a man-made carcinogen.

“Nothing has changed,” said Queen, a Salisbury resident who lives near Duke’s Buck power plant. “There has not been any proof showing what has changed from it being not safe to drink 10 months ago to it being safe to drink now.” “The coal ash pond is still there. “My well is still here. “Tell me what has changed — just numbers on a piece of paper,” Queen said.

A Winston-Salem Journal review of emails from staff members within the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services and Department of Environmental Quality, as well as interviews with environmental experts and sources close to state health staff suggest that administrators at DHHS and DEQ are overriding their own experts as they try to explain why they are lifting some of the do-not-drink warnings.

Read full story…

 

The following are paid links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.