Final update on the April 5, 2022 Event: Greensboro 1,4 dioxane discharge, impacting Pittsboro’s public drinking water system

Pittsboro, NC – The Town of Pittsboro has received the raw and finished water sample results taken over the past days. The latest results are highlighted in the chart below.

Pittsboro Sample LocationDate1,4 Dioxane ResultRaw CompositeMarch 28 – April 6, 20221.32 ug/LFinished Grab (At Plant)April 6, 20225.12 ug/LRaw GrabApril 7, 2022<1.00 ug/LFinished Grab (At Plant)April 7, 20226.06 ug/LRaw GrabApril 8, 2022<1.00 ug/LFinished Grab (At Plant)April 8, 202211.9 ug/LRaw GrabApril 11, 2022<1.00 ug/LFinished Grab (At Plant)April 11, 20224.94 ug/LFinish – 1.0M Tank GrabApril 11, 20224.79 ug/LFinish – Chatham Forest GrabApril 11, 20226.02 ug/LFinish – Horton Tank GrabApril 11, 20221.23 ug/LRaw GrabApril 12, 2022<1.00 ug/LFinished Grab (At Plant)April 12, 20221.97 ug/LFinish – 1.0M Tank GrabApril 12, 20224.97 ug/LFinish – Chatham Forest GrabApril 12, 20224.62 ug/LFinish – Horton Tank GrabApril 12, 20221.56 ug/LRaw GrabApril 18, 2022<1.00 ug/LFinished Grab (At Plant)April 18, 2022<1.00 ug/LFinish – 1.0M Tank GrabApril 18, 20221.66 ug/LFinish – Chatham Forest GrabApril 18, 20221.23 ug/LFinish – Horton Tank GrabApril 18, 20221.94 ug/LRaw GrabApril 20, 2022<1.00 ug/LFinished Grab (At Plant)April 20, 2022<1.00 ug/LFinish – 1.0M Tank GrabApril 20, 2022<1.43 ug/LFinish – Chatham Forest GrabApril 20, 20221.00 ug/LFinish – Horton Tank GrabApril 20, 20222.06 ug/LRaw GrabApril 21, 2022<1.00 ug/LFinished Grab (At Plant)April 21, 2022<1.00 ug/LFinish – 1.0M Tank GrabApril 21, 20221.43 ug/LFinish – Chatham Forest GrabApril 21, 2022<1.00 ug/LFinish – Horton Tank GrabApril 21, 20221.90 ug/LRaw GrabApril 25, 2022- May 02, 2022<1.00 ug/LFinished Grab (At Plant)May 04, 2022<1.00 ug/L

Because the results of the raw and finished water did not detect the presence of 1,4 Dioxane, and rates of the substance were below 2 ug/L in the tanks, daily sampling of the tanks was discontinued. Since April 21st and 25th, the raw and finished water sampling has continued to show no detectable 1,4 Dioxane.

As such, the Town considers the April 5 event to be complete.

The Town will continue to sample the raw and finished water, and we will continue to discuss remedies with NCDEQ and the City of Greensboro. We thank our customers for their attention to this matter and their support as the Town continues to work on their behalf.

EPA has identified 1,4 dioxane, a clear liquid highly miscible in water, as a likely human carcinogen. 1,4 dioxane has historically been used as a solvent stabilizer and is currently used for various industrial purposes. The EPA’s Drinking Water Health Advisory Level of 35 ug/L is based on a 1 in 10,000 cancer risk for lifetime exposure.   The Town encourages our customers to consult the EPA’s Risk Evaluation webpage for 1,4 dioxane and the EPA’s Technical Fact Sheet for 1,4 dioxane for additional guidance and resources; please see the links below:

Risk Evaluation

Factsheet Contaminant January 2014