Drinking Water
Water quality and supply issues
Latest stories
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North Carolina secures $455 million PFAS settlement, plus $135 million cleanup reserve
North Carolina has secured $455 million in payments from Chemours, DuPont and Corteva over PFAS pollution, along with a separate $135 million reserve intended to protect future drinking water and cleanup work.
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Drought can affect your drinking water long after the rain returns
Rain is improving North Carolina's drought, but experts say changing water quality remains a concern. Here's how utilities are adapting and what private well owners should know.
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Confusion after utility reports high uranium in Knightdale's water ... again
Four months after getting a notice about high levels of uranium in the drinking water, neighbors in Knightdale are on edge after receiving a letter reporting high uranium levels again.
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EPA hasn’t released completed PFAS health review; NC scientists want to know why
Reports show EPA completed a PFAS toxicity assessment in April but hasn’t released it. A group of North Carolina scientists and physicians is urging Rep. Greg Murphy to push for its publication.
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Meeting on Fuquay-Varina plan to take water from Cape Fear River held in Raleigh
According to plans proposed by the town, it is seeking an Interbasin Transfer Certificate (IBT) ot take 6.17 million gallons per day (MGD) from the river for the town's use without replacing it.
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Fuquay-Varina plan to take water from Cape Fear River facing opposition
According to the Cape Fear Public Utility Authority (CFPUA), the town of Fuquay-Varina is seeking an Interbasin Transfer Certificate (IBT) to take 6.17 MGD from the river for the town’s use without replacing it.
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Durham subdivision runoff lawsuit ends in settlement
Durham developer Mungo Homes settles lawsuit over muddy runoff, agreeing to fines, erosion fixes, and funding to protect 62 acres in the Falls Lake watershed.
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Study: PFAS filters could also cut other cancer-linked chemicals
A new study finds PFAS filters can also remove other cancer-linked chemicals, offering wider health benefits for drinking water systems.
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PFAS filters could also cut other cancer-linked chemicals, study finds
A new study finds PFAS filters can also remove other cancer-linked chemicals, offering wider health benefits for drinking water systems.
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Forever chemicals seeping into NC marine base
The EPA still labels Cherry Point "under control," yet 2023 tests show PFAS at 12× legal limit. New report warns 15 U.S. bases pose ongoing health risks as cleanup lags.
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Military bases flagged for high PFAS while EPA status remains unchanged
The EPA still labels Cherry Point “under control,” yet 2023 tests show PFAS at 12× legal limit. New report warns 15 U.S. bases pose ongoing health risks as cleanup lags.
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Hillsborough leaders discuss flooding at Eno River pump station
Flash flooding sent raw sewage into the Eno River, prompting a boil order from the town of Hillsborough.
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Free well-water kits offered as floods threaten drinking supplies
Free E. coli test kits are available Thursday through Saturday in Alamance, Orange and Chatham counties as Chantal flooding and new storms threaten private wells serving a quarter of North Carolinians.
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4 million gallons of drinking water are lost every day in Durham. What's being done to fix that
According to data provided by Durham's Water Management Department, an average of 3.94 million gallons of drinking water were lost daily in Durham in the 2024 calendar year.
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About 4 million gallons of drinking water lost each day in Durham
About 4 million gallons of drinking water are lost every day in the city of Durham due to pipe breaks.
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EPA announces rollback for some limits on 'forever chemicals' in drinking water, including some found in North Carolina
The Environmental Protection Agency said Wednesday that it plans to weaken limits on some "forever chemicals" in drinking water that were finalized last year, while maintaining standards for two common ones.
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‘A wish list for polluters’: Critics slam NC’s PFAS plan
Residents protested a draft PFAS rule at a state meeting Tuesday, saying it doesn’t protect communities or drinking water. Commissioners delayed a vote, citing questions about the rule’s cost analysis.
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Toxic PFAS detected in groundwater around NC landfills
State data shows PFAS in groundwater around NC landfills, with some levels 4,000 times above EPA limits, raising concerns about private well contamination.
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Decision looming for Trump administration on first PFAS drinking water limits
Regulators last year set federal drinking water limits for PFAS "forever chemicals," finding they increased the risk of cardiovascular disease and certain cancers. The Trump administration is mulling whether to defend those standards in federal court.
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Harnett County leaders voting on keeping fluoride in water
A final decision is expected on whether to keep fluoride in drinking water in Harnett County on Tuesday. The choice also impacts those in Holly Springs and Fuquay-Varina.
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Harnett Co. leaders to discuss risks, benefits of fluoride in water
WRAL News learned leaders in Harnett County will discuss possible changes to its water supply, as the debate over the benefits and risks of fluoride emerges nationwide.
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$16M quality testing lab opens for Raleigh Water
Raleigh's newest water quality testing lab opened on Wendesday. It's the first lab since 1967.
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$16M lab opens with goal of improving Raleigh's water quality
A new lab opened up on Wednesday to expand Raleigh's ability to test its water. It marks a change decades in the making.
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RFK Jr. says he plans to tell CDC to stop recommending fluoride in drinking water
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on Monday said he plans to tell the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to stop recommending fluoridation in communities nationwide. Kennedy said he’s assembling a task force of health experts to study the issue and make new recommendations.
