PHILADELPHIA, PA – Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced that Chemours Company FC, LLC has agreed to conduct sampling for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS, surrounding its Washington Works facility in Washington, West Virginia.    

The agreement under Section 3013 of the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) requires Chemours to take samples and analyze soil, surface water, sediment, groundwater, and certain waste streams generated by the facility to collect information on known and potential PFAS contamination. This agreement will provide data to improve the agency’s understanding of the extent of PFAS contamination and how migration of PFAS contamination may impact communities. EPA, under its existing enforcement authorities, will continue to address imminent and substantial endangerment situations posed by PFAS contamination. 

“Chemours and other PFAS manufacturers must be held accountable for contamination from forever chemicals,” said Assistant Administrator David M. Uhlmann of EPA's Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance.  “EPA is working closely with Ohio and West Virginia to determine the extent of PFAS contamination from the Washington Works facility and will ensure that Chemours takes steps based on the sampling results to better protect nearby communities from forever chemicals.”

This agreement is part of EPA’s FY2024-2027 National Enforcement Compliance Initiative on Addressing Exposure to PFAS. The PFAS initiative is focused on using EPA’s enforcement tools to achieve site characterization, control ongoing releases that pose a threat to human health and the environment, ensure compliance with permits and other agreements (e.g., Federal Facility Agreements) to prevent and address PFAS contamination, and address endangerment issues as they arise.

Chemours owns and operates Washington Works, a manufacturing facility located on the southeast bank of the Ohio River across from the state of Ohio. Since 1951, a variety of PFAS have been manufactured, produced, generated, or used at the facility and there have been PFAS releases from its operations. Certain wastes generated by the facility containing PFAS have been disposed of in landfills which are managed under the West Virginia Solid Waste Management Program and the West Virginia National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) Stormwater Program.

“EPA’s announcement today is a crucial action towards protecting communities in West Virginia from these forever chemicals,” EPA Mid-Atlantic Administrator Adam Ortiz said. “It also builds on the work our State partners are doing to provide clean water and clean air for people across the Mountain State.”

Read more about the Washington Works facility and EPA’s RCRA Corrective Action.