Earlier, a state agency announced that water in 32 wells near the Buck Steam Station is not safe. This week, the electricity company Duke Energy started transporting bottled water to people in the area.

Since Wednesday afternoon, the company headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina, was delivering water to about 19 of the families who had been using well water which was earlier declared unsafe by the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services.

Erin Culbert, spokesperson for Duke Energy, said that approximately eighty families near coal ash ponds statewide are now getting bottled water which is safe for them. According to Culbert, the company will continue its efforts to provide bottled water to people in the region until Buck Steam Station wraps up a groundwater assessment. According to reports, the groundwater assessment is currently in progress.

James and Margaret Gobble from the Dukeville Road said that they received a batch of water on Tuesday afternoon. According to them, the bottled water was given to them from a third-party company contracted with Duke. They also said that they were given seven cases of water, with 24 bottles in each case. James and Margaret Gobble also said that they also received a notice which stated that bottles will be given every two weeks.

James Gobble said that they want the company to do what is right at the time. According to Gobble, it was just a start and will take some time for the company to get water in the area to run out to them.

Culbert said, “If Buck Steam Station’s groundwater assessment shows the plant contributed to the test results, id Duke would consider building a water line that connects to homes near coal ash ponds.” The closest Salisbury-Rowan Utilities water line is about a mile away from the Gobble’s house, near I-85.