PITTSBORO, N.C. — The Haw River Assembly reports seeing fewer PFAS compounds, commonly called "forever chemicals," after forming an agreement with the City of Burlington in 2019 to identify the companies responsible for the pollution. 

Three large textile plants have now implemented changes to reduce their impact on the Haw River, and the river has gone from having a PFAS concentration of 33,000 parts-per-trillion to around 500 thanks to the partnership, the organization said.

What You Need To Know

  •  PFAS pollution in the Haw River has dropped since the City of Burlington agreed to help cut textile plants from dumping the chemicals in the river

  •  PFAS are knows as "forever chemicals" because they do not break down in the environment

  •  The chemicals are used to make fabric water or stain resistant

  • Environmental advocates say the standard for the Haw should be modeled across North Carolina

Emilly Sutton, the Riverkeeper for the Haw, said it is a standard that should be modeled across the state. 

“This legal work is one of the first of its kind, and it has huge ramifications for the health of the Haw and the communities that depend on it, but that is just one source. It cannot be on the backs of environmental nonprofits like Haw River Assembly and the Environmental Southern Law Center to do the work that the state is required to do,” she said.

PFAS or per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances are toxic chemicals used to make material more water and stain-resistant. They are commonly found in cleaning products and items like umbrellas, tents and fabrics. 

Sutton said the Clean Water Act should have mandated the City of Burlington to disclose the amount of PFAS being released, but the standards and policies did not require them to.

Burlington Water Resources Director Bob Patterson said now they are setting stricter policies on industries to help control PFAS discharge before they enter the Haw River. 

“We have questionnaires and surveys, and we will sample them. Also we will continue to sample our wastewater to make sure that measures that are put in place by these industries to reduce PFAS are in fact, reducing the loads. We will also continue to study to try to identify any other sources,”  he said. 

The Haw River provides drinking water for the City of Pittsboro.

Both Patterson and Sutton said that historically, the Haw has tested as one of the most PFAS-polluted rivers in the state, but it has already started diving in the other direction.