The North Carolina Environmental Management Commission announced on March 25 that it will hold three public hearings to gather comments on proposed rules for monitoring and reducing 1,4-dioxane in wastewater discharges into the state’s surface waters. The hearings are part of a public comment period that began on March 16.
The issue is important because 1,4-dioxane is considered a probable human carcinogen and has been detected in wastewater from certain facilities across North Carolina. The commission’s proposal aims to address potential health risks by improving oversight of industrial and municipal discharges.
The first hearing is scheduled for April 9 at St. Stephens Library in Catawba County. The second will take place April 14 at Fayetteville Technology Community College, and the third is set for May 12 at Guilford Technical Community College in Jamestown. Registration for each event begins an hour before the meeting starts at 6:00 p.m., allowing both general participants and those wishing to speak to sign up.
In addition to oral comments during these sessions, written feedback can be submitted by email or postal mail through June 15. The commission will accept comments not only on the draft rules—NCAC 02B .0513 and NCAC 02H .0924—but also on related regulatory impact analyses and specific questions regarding detection thresholds for triggering monitoring requirements, as well as whether the scope should extend beyond currently targeted industrial classifications.
Under the proposal, facilities with National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System permits falling within certain industry categories would be required to monitor their discharges for the chemical. Publicly owned treatment works with pretreatment programs accepting waste from significant industrial users associated with relevant industries would also be included. If direct or indirect industrial dischargers detect any amount of the contaminant, they must develop plans to reduce such releases into surface waters.
Copies of the proposed rules are available online. Interpretation services can be requested ahead of time by contacting officials before March 31.
