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Local grassroots group sues county over claims of severe toxic water pollution

PRE News & Ideas | By Annette Weston
Published June 18, 2026 at 6:53 AM EDT
Eva Stebel, water researcher, pours a water sample into a smaller glass container for experimentation as part of drinking water and PFAS research at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Center For Environmental Solutions and Emergency Response on Feb. 16, 2023, in Cincinnati. Three chemical companies said Friday, June 2, 2023, that they had reached a $1.18 billion deal to resolve complaints of polluting many U.S. drinking water systems with potentially harmful compounds known as PFAS.
AP Photo
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Joshua A. Bickel, File
File: Eva Stebel, water researcher, pours a water sample into a smaller glass container for experimentation as part of drinking water and PFAS research at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Center For Environmental Solutions and Emergency Response.

Robeson County is facing a federal lawsuit from a local grassroots group over claims of severe toxic water pollution.

The St. Pauls Community Association for Progress has asked a federal judge to prohibit the county from contaminating local groundwater with toxic forever chemicals, known as PFAS. The lawsuit contends a county-managed landfill is leaching the chemicals into wells that supply the nearby Rocco Water Treatment Plant, impacting tap water for 67,000 people.

Activists allege county leadership has known about the contamination since at least 2023 but refused to act. Environmental lawyers note the facility has registered the highest concentration of the chemical compound GenX of any groundwater-based water plant in the nation.

The lawsuit seeks an immediate order forcing the county to filter the system and provide clean drinking water.
Annette Weston
Annette is an award-winning journalist based in Eastern North Carolina. Her career includes professional stops across the Midwest, Pacific Northwest, and Southeast, recently culminating in a 2026 Region 8 Edward R. Murrow Award for Small Market Radio Best News Series for her work on the Camp Lejeune Justice Act Series. Guided by a passion for human-interest storytelling, she focuses on narratives that touch hearts and connect communities. A mother of four and grandmother of two, Annette enjoys reading and creating epic Halloween costumes in her spare time. If you have a story idea to share, please reach out by email to westona@cravencc.edu.
See stories by Annette Weston