Questions raised regarding the safety of Bertie County drinking water have gone unanswered by Bertie County officials.
Citizens’ concerns are also being ignored, according to the claims recently made at a county commission meeting.
Whether or not Bertie County is applying herbicides to the county’s water system sites within N.C. State regulations and guidelines are being questioned by local resident and business owner Deborah Tayloe.
Tayloe addressed the problem with the Bertie County Commissioners at their June 22 meeting when she requested public records relating to water-site maintenance and possible herbicide activity at Bertie County water sites be made available.
She said she has repeatedly requested water site records without any response from the administration and is claiming the administration may be in violation of the public records act.
Beginning April 1, Tayloe says she sent certified letters to Bertie County Manager Juan Vaughan, County Attorney Lloyd Smith, the Bertie commissioners and Bertie County Finance Director Willie Mac Carawan. With the exception of Carawan, inquiring why he was included in the requests, the correspondence went unanswered.
North Carolina regulates herbicide spraying at county water sites through strict permitting and licensing requirements. Any person or agency applying pesticides to waters or adjacent to surface waters must operate under state regulations to prevent the pollution of water supplies, especially drinking water supplies.
During the public comments, Tayloe requested the board deliver the documents by Friday, June 26 at 5 p.m. According to Tayloe, she had not received the documents as of Monday, June 29. Vaughan did not respond to requests for comment on why the documents had not been produced.
“On April 1, 2026, I lawfully requested public records regarding maintenance contracts and chemical herbicide application at Bertie County water system sites. I followed up by email on April 6, May 8, and May 21. I spoke with the county manager on May 8. I've sent a certified letter to the county manager, county attorney, finance director and the commissioners on May 29th,” Tayloe said. “ North Carolina law requires the production of records as promptly as possible. That language is meant to protect citizens from government stonewalling. As of today, I have not received those records. July 1 will be 90 days.”
Tayloe is certified in water management and operates a business employing a certified applicator.
“Based on my training in the industry and my experience, the damage I've observed at multiple water sites is consistent with herbicide application,” she said. “More importantly, I've spoken with an NCBA inspector, who agrees, the chemical herbicides have been sprayed within the state and federally mandated 100-foot buffer zones. Chemical application in that buffer zone is permitted only very under very narrow circumstances.
“My concern is that current maintenance practices are putting the drinking water to county residents at risk. The public has a right to know what chemicals have been applied around our pump houses and wellheads,” she added.
Tayloe wants to know where and when the chemicals were applied, who applied them, whether the applicator was preferably licensed and whether label requirements, environmental precautions and buffer restrictions were followed.
“Bertie County has a legal responsibility to control and protect public water wellheads from potential sources of contamination. If the records exist, let's produce them. And if they don't, let's put it in writing. The apparent absence or delay of federally and state mandated records for public water sites should be a very serious concern to the board of commissioners,” explained Tayloe.
On April 1, Tayloe sent a formal protest requesting an immediate stay. Tayloe cited the contract renewal process was legally deficient and she claims there was no competitive formal bids for the contract.
Tayloe is requesting the identity of the vendors performing the services from 2020–2025, copies of their insurance certificates and, finally, the signed contracts and pre-audit certification documents from the company awarded the contract.
As of press time, Vaughan, Smith nor Board of Commissioners Chair Corey Ballance had not responded to comments.
Tayloe is still waiting the requested documents.
John Foley can be contacted at jfoley@apgenc.com
