Nearly nine years after the StarNews first reported that DuPont and now Chemours had been dumping unknown manmade chemicals into the Cape Fear River that couldn’t be filtered out before entering public water systems, important steps have been taken to learn more about the health risk posed by the toxic contaminants and the extent of the contamination nationwide.
Since 2017, state officials also have largely succeeded in stopping Chemours from dumping any new PFAS (short for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) into the river. But work on cleaning up the legacy contamination and the cost to local governments and utilities of dealing with these «forever chemicals» remains an ongoing project, as do rules and regulations to force companies to disclose what exactly they are producing and in what amounts.
With new federal and state rules and requirements over PFAS slowly moving forward, here’s an update on where they stand, and why many environmentalists, clean water activists and even government officials don’t think they go far enough.
A protester at the June 20, 2017, Wilmington City Council meeting holds a sign showing her concerns after the StarNews reported that GenX, a toxic chemical produced by Chemours at its Fayetteville Works plant, was ending up in the city’s drinking water supply with no way for the CFPUA to filter it out.
A protester at the June 20, 2017, Wilmington City Council meeting holds a sign showing her concerns after the StarNews reported that GenX, a toxic chemical produced by Chemours at its Fayetteville Works plant, was ending up in the city’s drinking water supply with no way for the CFPUA to filter it out.
EPA back tracks
Under a rule finalized in 2023, the federal government made a modification to the Toxic Substances Control Act that started requiring businesses to report on PFAS manufacturing and use, including amounts produced or imported and any known environmental or health impacts.
The rule was supposed to start in 2026. But in November 2025, the U.S Environmental Protection Agency announced that it intended to vastly narrow who would have to follow the reporting requirement, potentially exempting more than 95% of businesses. The proposed new rule is expected to be published later this year.
“This Biden-era rule would have imposed crushing regulatory burdens and nearly $1 billion in implementation costs on American businesses,”EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin said in a Nov. 10, 2025, news release. “Today’s proposal is grounded in commonsense and the law, allowing us to collect the information we need to help combat PFAS contamination without placing ridiculous requirements on manufacturers, especially the small businesses that drive our country’s economy.”