{"id":2201,"date":"2026-06-11T11:36:06","date_gmt":"2026-06-11T11:36:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/durhammovinghub.com\/?p=2201"},"modified":"2026-06-11T11:36:06","modified_gmt":"2026-06-11T11:36:06","slug":"state-ag-sues-company-over-black-water-near-an-east-durham-elementary-school","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/durhammovinghub.com\/?p=2201","title":{"rendered":"State AG sues company over \u2018black water\u2019 near an East Durham elementary school"},"content":{"rendered":"

AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.<\/p>\n

Read our AI Policy.<\/a><\/p>\n

The state is suing a chemical distribution company it says is illegally dumping pollutants from its East Durham facility into local waterways.<\/p>\n

Read more You know Evel Knievel. Meet this group of Hurricanes superfans: \u2018The CaneEvels\u2019<\/a><\/p>\n

N.C. Attorney General Jeff Jackson and the N.C. Department of Justice, representing the N.C. Department of Environmental Quality, filed a lawsuit Tuesday against Brenntag Mid-South Inc., a distributor of industrial chemicals and ingredients.<\/p>\n

State officials are demanding that the company, which has a facility at 2000 E. Pettigrew St., immediately contain the alleged contamination and submit a cleanup plan within 30 days.<\/p>\n

In November, Brenntag was cited by state officials for failing to clean up leaking barrels on the property. According to the lawsuit, recent testing showed the chemicals enter a stream that runs behind Burton Magnet Elementary School, through Burton Park, and feeds into Third Fork Creek and Jordan Lake, the drinking water supply for over a million people.<\/p>\n

According to the lawsuit, the environmental investigation began last April following an anonymous complaint alleging chemical leaks, dumping and poor housekeeping at the Brenntag site. When DEQ inspectors visited the facility, they found leaking storage drums and tanks, and noted that the site\u2019s groundwater remediation system was turned off.<\/p>\n

In dry weather conditions, state investigators saw \u201cblack water\u201d pooling at a stormwater outfall and flowing into the creek. The city posted a notice prohibiting visitors<\/a> at Burton Park from wading or playing in the creek. The park joins a list of contaminated parks in the city. Currently, there are five parks in Durham closed<\/a> due to lead contamination.<\/p>\n

Aidil Ortiz, a community organizer in Old East Durham, lives near the Brenntag facility. For months, she and other residents have been trying to raise awareness and hold Brenntag accountable.<\/p>\n

\u201cI want to see our city made whole for all the money they\u2019ve ever spent trying to chase the faces of this issue,\u201d she said. \u201cWhen everyday residents in Durham break rules, we get lights shut of, water shut off, we get fees and fines, liens on our home. When multi-national companies mess up, they get decades to figure it out.\u201d<\/p>\n

Read more 3 Triangle restaurants named among world’s most luxurious by Forbes<\/a><\/p>\n

Ortiz said the company has not given neighbors any communication about clean-up plans. Most neighbors have only heard about the problem from residents who attended monthly city Environmental Affairs Board meetings and shared information with others.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe site has been used for many things,\u201d she said. \u201cOnce you assume ownership of a property, you\u2019re responsible. I don\u2019t get out of that responsibility and get to put my hands in the air and be innocent.\u201d<\/p>\n

Water testing by the state Division of Water Resources confirmed severe environmental destruction. Samples taken downstream revealed a drop in dissolved oxygen levels below the state\u2019s legal standard of 4.0 mg\/L, creating conditions hazardous to aquatic life, the lawsuit reads.<\/p>\n

In February, groundwater assessments found volatile compounds like acetone and ethanol, a human carcinogen, far exceeding state groundwater standards, according to the lawsuit.<\/p>\n

Officials said Brenntag has had multiple chances to self-correct before the state escalated the matter to the courts. The November violation demanded a corrective action plan, but as of Monday, the company had failed to stop the discharges.<\/p>\n

\u201cBrenntag has had plenty of time and opportunity to clean up its act so that our water doesn\u2019t get contaminated,\u201d Jackson said in a statement. \u201cIt hasn\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n

The News & Observer contacted Brenntag for a comment Wednesday but did not hear back. The lawsuit asks Durham County Superior Court to force the company to halt the illegal discharges, implement containment measures and absorb the costs of the action.<\/p>\n

Read more It\u2019s really happening. Big changes ahead at NC highway exit as Buc-ee\u2019s breaks ground<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A chemical company on Durham\u2019s Pettigrew Street has been cited for numerous violations, failing to correct. Now the state is taking legal action.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2200,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2201","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-read-todays-edition"],"yoast_head":"\nState AG sues company over \u2018black water\u2019 near an East Durham elementary school - Durham Moving Hub<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/durhammovinghub.com\/?p=2201\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"State AG sues company over \u2018black water\u2019 near an East Durham elementary school - Durham Moving Hub\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"A chemical company on Durham\u2019s Pettigrew Street has been cited for numerous violations, failing to correct. Now the state is taking legal action.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/durhammovinghub.com\/?p=2201\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Durham Moving Hub\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-06-11T11:36:06+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/durhammovinghub.com\\\/?p=2201#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/durhammovinghub.com\\\/?p=2201\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"admin\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/durhammovinghub.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/bf1f081e7f06a3ab66052e5f6015fd85\"},\"headline\":\"State AG sues company over \u2018black water\u2019 near an East Durham elementary school\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-06-11T11:36:06+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/durhammovinghub.com\\\/?p=2201\"},\"wordCount\":659,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/durhammovinghub.com\\\/?p=2201#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/durhammovinghub.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/7b3bffc126bc369ee892b0aa16cc4cfb.png\",\"articleSection\":[\"Read today's Edition\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/durhammovinghub.com\\\/?p=2201#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/durhammovinghub.com\\\/?p=2201\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/durhammovinghub.com\\\/?p=2201\",\"name\":\"State AG sues company over \u2018black water\u2019 near an East Durham elementary school - Durham Moving Hub\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/durhammovinghub.com\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/durhammovinghub.com\\\/?p=2201#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/durhammovinghub.com\\\/?p=2201#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/durhammovinghub.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/7b3bffc126bc369ee892b0aa16cc4cfb.png\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-06-11T11:36:06+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/durhammovinghub.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/bf1f081e7f06a3ab66052e5f6015fd85\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/durhammovinghub.com\\\/?p=2201#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/durhammovinghub.com\\\/?p=2201\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/durhammovinghub.com\\\/?p=2201#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/durhammovinghub.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/7b3bffc126bc369ee892b0aa16cc4cfb.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/durhammovinghub.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/7b3bffc126bc369ee892b0aa16cc4cfb.png\",\"width\":1200,\"height\":674},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/durhammovinghub.com\\\/?p=2201#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/durhammovinghub.com\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"State AG sues company over \u2018black water\u2019 near an East Durham elementary school\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/durhammovinghub.com\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/durhammovinghub.com\\\/\",\"name\":\"Durham Moving Hub\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/durhammovinghub.com\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/durhammovinghub.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/bf1f081e7f06a3ab66052e5f6015fd85\",\"name\":\"admin\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"admin\"},\"sameAs\":[\"http:\\\/\\\/durhammovinghub.com\"],\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/durhammovinghub.com\\\/?author=1\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"State AG sues company over \u2018black water\u2019 near an East Durham elementary school - Durham Moving Hub","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/durhammovinghub.com\/?p=2201","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"State AG sues company over \u2018black water\u2019 near an East Durham elementary school - Durham Moving Hub","og_description":"A chemical company on Durham\u2019s Pettigrew Street has been cited for numerous violations, failing to correct. Now the state is taking legal action.","og_url":"https:\/\/durhammovinghub.com\/?p=2201","og_site_name":"Durham Moving Hub","article_published_time":"2026-06-11T11:36:06+00:00","author":"admin","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"admin","Est. reading time":"3 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/durhammovinghub.com\/?p=2201#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/durhammovinghub.com\/?p=2201"},"author":{"name":"admin","@id":"https:\/\/durhammovinghub.com\/#\/schema\/person\/bf1f081e7f06a3ab66052e5f6015fd85"},"headline":"State AG sues company over \u2018black water\u2019 near an East Durham elementary school","datePublished":"2026-06-11T11:36:06+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/durhammovinghub.com\/?p=2201"},"wordCount":659,"commentCount":0,"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/durhammovinghub.com\/?p=2201#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/durhammovinghub.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/7b3bffc126bc369ee892b0aa16cc4cfb.png","articleSection":["Read today's Edition"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/durhammovinghub.com\/?p=2201#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/durhammovinghub.com\/?p=2201","url":"https:\/\/durhammovinghub.com\/?p=2201","name":"State AG sues company over \u2018black water\u2019 near an East Durham elementary school - Durham Moving Hub","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/durhammovinghub.com\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/durhammovinghub.com\/?p=2201#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/durhammovinghub.com\/?p=2201#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/durhammovinghub.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/7b3bffc126bc369ee892b0aa16cc4cfb.png","datePublished":"2026-06-11T11:36:06+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/durhammovinghub.com\/#\/schema\/person\/bf1f081e7f06a3ab66052e5f6015fd85"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/durhammovinghub.com\/?p=2201#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/durhammovinghub.com\/?p=2201"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/durhammovinghub.com\/?p=2201#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/durhammovinghub.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/7b3bffc126bc369ee892b0aa16cc4cfb.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/durhammovinghub.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/7b3bffc126bc369ee892b0aa16cc4cfb.png","width":1200,"height":674},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/durhammovinghub.com\/?p=2201#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/durhammovinghub.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"State AG sues company over \u2018black water\u2019 near an East Durham elementary school"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/durhammovinghub.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/durhammovinghub.com\/","name":"Durham Moving Hub","description":"","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/durhammovinghub.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/durhammovinghub.com\/#\/schema\/person\/bf1f081e7f06a3ab66052e5f6015fd85","name":"admin","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"admin"},"sameAs":["http:\/\/durhammovinghub.com"],"url":"https:\/\/durhammovinghub.com\/?author=1"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/durhammovinghub.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2201","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/durhammovinghub.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/durhammovinghub.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/durhammovinghub.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/durhammovinghub.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2201"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/durhammovinghub.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2201\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/durhammovinghub.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/2200"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/durhammovinghub.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2201"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/durhammovinghub.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2201"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/durhammovinghub.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2201"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}