Local conservation group challenging Pee Dee manufacturer’s discharge permit

CONWAY, S.C. (WBTW) — More than 300,000 people from Darlington to Georgetown counties are at continued risk of consuming a carcinogen known to cause kidney and liver problems if state regulators renew a discharge permit for Darlington-based Fiber industries.

That’s at the center of a legal challenge by Winyah Rivers Alliance, which is asking a judge to intervene in a bid to keep excessive levels of 1,4-dioxane out of Black Creek and three downstream drinking water systems.

“This chemical is highly mobile in rivers and can travel dozens of miles downstream from a discharge to taint drinking water. If 1,4-dioxane pollutes the rivers that feed drinking water systems, it will likely pass through and into the taps of South Carolinians,” Southern Environmental Law Center attorneys wrote in February.

Lawyers say Fiber Industries’ permit authorizes 1,4-dioxane discharges that are 70,000 times higher than standard advisory limits.

The company could not be reached for comment on Tuesday but heavily promotes its sustainability and eco-friendly initiatives online.

Attorneys said that the former state Department of Health and Environmental Control also failed to “consider or set technology-based effluent limitations” for the chemical in violation of water quality standards.

The dispute is awaiting action by Administrative Law Judge Robert L. Reibold.

* * *

Adam Benson joined the News13 digital team in January 2024. He is a veteran South Carolina reporter with previous stops at the Greenwood Index-Journal, Post & Courier and The Sun News in Myrtle Beach. Adam is a Boston native and University of Utah graduate. Follow Adam on X, formerly Twitter, at @AdamNewshound12 . See more of his work here .

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WBTW.