Moore County School Board Member Hensley calls environmental review at Aberdeen Elementary School “sloppy”

During the Feb. 9 Moore County School Board work session, Member David Hensley asked about Bhate Environmental Associates, Inc. (Bhate) environmental investigation during a presentation on the contamination on Aberdeen Elementary School property.

Hensley requested an investigation after the Nov. 2025 public release of information in a 2017 email to the former Moore County Operations Director John Birath from Buildings and Earth about AES needing continued testing even though it was “at a higher elevation relative to all five of the [pesticide] dump sites.”

AES is less than two miles from the dump sites.

Bhate’s 2026 letter revealed investigators reviewed the existing files (there was no drilling) and said that the Environmental Protection Agency’s ongoing remediation was all that was needed.

Hensley asked how the investigators justified no more actions being required as far as testing when former Operations Director John Birath’s email exposed a need for continual testing.

Hensley was concerned about Bhate not clarifying that AES had been built, and instead writes “proposed” school, questioning the diligence of the investigation.

“There was some pretty sloppy work,” Hensley said.

Attorney Richard Schwartz said whether Bhate’s engineer’s statement on their investigation served as indemnification for possible future lawsuits was a subject for closed session.

Hensley said there had been resistance to testing water in all schools, and Pinehurst Elementary had a well that had to be shut down, and some had PFAS beyond acceptable limits.

Director of Operations Jennifer Purvis said eight schools and the nearby homes had the same water with high PFAS. Schools without PFAS filters are supplied with bottled water.

The Moore County Superfund site with 37-acres, known as the Aberdeen Pesticide Dumps, includes five areas contaminated by decades of pesticide mixing and waste dumping. A pesticide plant operated there from 1930 to 1987. Ongoing groundwater treatment, monitoring, land-use restrictions and regular reviews by the EPA and NCDEQ and responsible parties monitor the area.

The EPA’s Maximum Contaminant Level Goal for zero lead in water is unenforceable.

Lead was found in a 16-foot deep well on the east side of the school, according to the 2019 article in NC Newsline, “Environmental test results are in for controversial Aberdeen Elementary School site in Moore County,” by Lisa Sorg. “The DDD detections were found in the east well and another on the south side of the site. DDD is a product of DDT as it breaks down. DDT was banned in the U.S. in 1972, but it persists in the environment. DDD was also used a separate pesticide. Both pesticides were detected at several Superfund sites, including Fairway 6, the Superfund site three-tenths of a mile north of the school.”

Learn more about the Aberdeen Pesticide Dumps here.

Feb. 9, 2026

Stephanie M. Sellers

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