North Carolina Sues Brenntag Mid-South Over Durham Creek Contamination
North Carolina’s attorney general is suing Brenntag Mid-South, alleging decades of toxic chemical dumping into a Durham creek that flows through a public park and into a drinking water supply.
DURHAM, NORTH CAROLINA — North Carolina’s attorney general has filed suit against chemical distribution company Brenntag Mid-South, accusing the Durham-based firm of illegally discharging toxic chemicals into a neighborhood creek for decades, according to a complaint filed in Durham Superior Court last Monday.
The lawsuit, brought on behalf of state regulators, alleges that Brenntag Mid-South violated North Carolina’s water quality laws by releasing high concentrations of acetone, ethanol, 1,4-dioxane, and other unidentified substances — including what state documents describe as “mucilaginous goo” — into a local creek. That waterway runs behind an elementary school, through Burton Park in a predominantly Black neighborhood, and ultimately drains into a major drinking water supply.
State Seeks Cleanup Plan Within 30 Days
The state is asking Durham Superior Court to order Brenntag Mid-South to submit a remediation plan within 30 days that would both stop the ongoing discharges and address contamination already present in the creek. State regulatory documents reviewed by Inside Climate News indicate the releases have continued for decades.
Durham City Councilman Nate Baker welcomed the legal action. “I’m thrilled that the attorney general is intervening in this longstanding environmental injustice in Durham,” Baker said. “The residents living around Burton Park and further downstream have suffered too long from the negligence of a large corporate neighbor, and it is time the harms rendered be repaired.”
Company Declines to Comment on Litigation
A spokesperson for Brenntag Mid-South told Inside Climate News that the company does not generally comment on active litigation. Earlier this year, the spokesperson issued a statement saying: “Brenntag Mid-South is committed to collaboration in this investigative process and continues to expend internal and external resources and expertise in coordination with local authorities.”
Brenntag Mid-South operates as a subsidiary of Brenntag, a global chemical company headquartered in Germany. The parent company reported $1 billion in gross profits in the first quarter of this year, according to Inside Climate News.
Background on the Site
State regulatory documents have documented chemical discharges from the Durham repackaging and distribution facility stretching back over many years. The creek affected by the alleged releases flows through Burton Park, a public greenspace in a neighborhood that environmental advocates have identified as an environmental justice concern. The contamination was first reported in depth by Inside Climate News in August 2025.
The complaint now before Durham Superior Court represents the state’s most direct legal intervention to date in the matter. No trial date has been announced, according to available court records.
