FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Tuesday, June 9, 2026
Contact: comms@ncdoj.gov
919-538-2809
RALEIGH – Today, Attorney General Jeff Jackson took legal action on behalf of the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality to stop Brenntag Mid-South from continuing to illegally discharge contaminants into state waters and require the company to act immediately to clean up the damage it’s caused.
“Brenntag has had plenty of time and opportunity to clean up its act so that our water doesn’t get contaminated – it hasn’t,” said Attorney General Jeff Jackson. “Clean water is a universal right, and we’re taking Brenntag to court to protect our water and clean up the damage they’ve already done.”
“Residents of Durham, and across this state, deserve clean water,” DEQ Secretary Reid Wilson said. “It’s our job as the state environmental agency to ensure that companies are following the law, and today we take another step toward ensuring that for those living downstream of this facility.”
Yesterday’s complaint alleges that Brenntag is violating North Carolina’s water quality laws and endangering an unnamed tributary to Third Fork Creek, which flows past Burton Magnet Elementary School and then downstream through Burton Park and ultimately to Jordan Lake. The state is asking the court to require Brenntag to submit a plan to eliminate surface water discharge and clean up past discharge and contamination within 30 days.
In April 2025, DEQ received an anonymous complaint about chemical leaks, chemical dumping, and poor housekeeping practices at Brenntag’s Durham facility. Brenntag’s Durham facility stores wet and dry chemicals including petroleum-based lubricants, solvents, acids, and bases.
When DEQ visited the site, they saw that Brenntag was storing chemicals in drums and tanks – some of which were leaking or otherwise compromised. There was also evidence that contaminated groundwater was accumulating in areas around the location and contaminants were flowing into an unnamed tributary to Third Fork Creek. Third Fork Creek feeds into Jordan Lake.
Water samples taken at the facility and downstream confirmed that Brenntag was violating surface water standards, and DEQ issued Brenntag a notice of violation of water quality standards and required them to immediately act to clean up the contamination. Brenntag did not meet its deadlines, and a follow-up inspection confirmed that water quality standards were still being violated. Brenntag has still not provided a corrective action plan to address the contamination.
A copy of the complaint is available here.
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