NEW HANOVER COUNTY — To combat high levels of PFAS contamination in one area of New Hanover County, officials are seeking a $2.1-million grant from the state environmental quality office at the request of the Cape Fear Public Utility Authority. The goal is to protect the health of residents in a particular Castle Hayne neighborhood.
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“We’re asking for help, we don’t know if either of us will be successful, but it appears to be worthwhile,” CFPUA Chief Engineer Gary Smith told the commissioners at Monday’s meeting.
He proposed a resolution to commit the county to apply for funding through the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality. Commissioners unanimously approved. Smith said the odds of the money being approved are higher if it is through the county, as CFPUA is close to maxing out it’s request fro DEQ funds.
If granted, the money would be used for the Garden Place neighborhood near North College and Castle Hayne roads intersection in Castle Hayne. High levels of legacy compounds, primarily PFOS, were found during testing conducted by Chemours. The company, which dumped PFAS for decades into the Cape Fear River, were required, per a consent order with NCDEQ, to test for contaminants in the area.
Funds from NCDEQ’s Emerging Contaminants Funding aims to eliminate PFAS in water and wastewater systems statewide.
Grant money would be utilized to create new water lines. It would provide water to 53 parcels, all currently on private wells, Prince George Avenue and Garden Place Drive, as well Hyacinth Avenue and Wedgewood Drive.
As the primary source of PFAS contamination in our region, Chemours must mitigate PFAS pollution originating from its Fayetteville plants. This includes sampling private wells, installing filters or connections to safe water supplies, and providing funding to the county for additional mitigation efforts.
However, some PFAS contamination, such as legacy chemicals PFOA and PFOS, fall outside Chemours’ responsibility. The chemicals were produced at the plant, once DuPont, before it spun off into Chemours in 2015.
Port City Daily reached out to NCDEQ to ask when PFAS testing in the Garden Place neighborhood were conducted but did not receive a response by press.
DEQ only allows $5 million per recipient for grants that fall under the Emerging Contaminants Funding and CFPUA is close to reaching the threshold.
CFPUA was awarded $3.2 million to mitigate PFAS by extending water mains to the Rockhill Road and Alandale communities. According to CFPUA spokesperson Cammie Bellamy, construction on these projects within the year is dependent on when the bidding process ends.
McSmith noted CFPUA will apply for a separate waterline extension project from the same funding pot, to, to cost $1.5 million million to tackle Arlington Drive.
Extending water lines can be a costly endeavor; Bellamy noted such projects typically range from $1 million to $3.5 million. The final cost can fluctuate based on factors such as road length and the proximity of existing CFPUA services to the road.
“It’s all extremely variable, literally just down to the length of the road,” she said
The expected cost of Garden Place will be the full amount of the requested $2.1 million, if granted. McSmith assured commissioners they would not need to bankroll any of the project.
Commissioner Rob Zapple, who supported the project, doubled down on the issue of potential county contribution. He wanted the resolution to include language confirming New Hanover would not be responsible for covering any cost overruns.
“Because as we move into this new world of trying to expand our distribution system of CFPUA water system, which is all for the positive reasons, we don’t know exactly what the costs will be,” Zapple.
If the extension project exceeds $2.1 million, CFPUA will cover the extra costs using N.C. Reserve funding from House Bill 259. This bill aims to expand healthcare access but also addresses water quality issues.
It includes measures to improve drinking water safety, enhance water quality testing, regulate contaminants, and support communities in managing their water resources. Additionally, it focuses on setting standards for water quality testing and helping local governments ensure safe drinking water.
Applications are due by the end of the month, and Bellamy says if approved, the authority hopes to begin construction within a year of receiving the funds, although it is too early to say how long the construction process would take.
Tips or comments? Email journalist Jalyn Baldwin at jalyn@localdailymedia.com.
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