"An investigation by North Carolina Health News finds water-quality issues from coal waste in municipalities near a Duke Energy coal plant outside of Eden."

"Terry Shelton was on a hunt for clues.

Shelton is the director of environmental services for the city of Eden, in Rockingham County, which draws its drinking water from the Dan River. Up until 2011, the city had had few problems with the health of its drinking water.

But early that year, Shelton and his colleagues noticed something troubling with the water that Eden distributes outside the city center. The treated water was showing a spike in trihalomethanes, byproducts of the treatment process that, research has found, can be harmful to human health.

Shelton and others began to sample water from the Dan, moving incrementally upstream in hopes of finding the source of their problems."

Gabe Rivin reports for North Carolina Health News April 7, 2014. [2]