Governor Josh Stein and Department of Environmental Quality Secretary Reid Wilson visited the Sweeney Water Treatment Plant in Wilmington to announce $17 million in grants aimed at addressing contamination from chemicals such as PFAS and GenX in New Hanover County. The funding will be used to extend waterlines, connecting over 300 homes with contaminated wells to Cape Fear Public Utility Authority’s (CFPUA) supply of safe drinking water.
This initiative follows a larger statewide investment, where more than $472 million has been allocated for drinking water and wastewater infrastructure projects across 66 counties. As part of this broader effort, CFPUA received an additional $17.8 million to support upgrades at the Southside Water Reclamation Facility.
“When families turn on the tap, they deserve to know that their water is clean and safe,” said Governor Josh Stein. “This $17 million investment in Wilmington will protect more than 300 families from forever chemicals by connecting their homes to the public water supply. We’ve made historic commitments to upgrade water infrastructure across North Carolina because keeping North Carolinians healthy starts with reliable, resilient water systems.”
“People who live in the Cape Fear River Basin are rightly concerned about high levels of forever chemicals like GenX and PFAS in their drinking water,” said DEQ Secretary Reid Wilson. “The Department of Environmental Quality remains committed to doing everything we can to reduce exposure to these harmful chemicals so that families can trust that the water coming out of their tap is healthy and safe.”
“Clean drinking water is among the most fundamental services government provides. This funding helps connect families in New Hanover County to the safe water they deserve, and we’re grateful for the State’s continued partnership in that effort,” said Vice Chair of the New Hanover County Board of Commissioners and Cape Fear Public Utility Authority Board Member Dane Scalise.
“Since CFPUA brought new filters online at our Sweeney Plant in 2022, we have been able to effectively remove GenX and other PFAS from our public drinking water,” said CFPUA Board Chairman Wesley P. Corder. “We are very grateful for this support from Governor Stein’s Office and the Department of Environmental Quality, which will enable us to connect more families in our community to CFPUA’s clean, clearly better water.”
The grant for CFPUA comes through the Department of Environmental Quality’s Emerging Contaminants in Small or Disadvantaged Communities program, funded by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Testing found that over 75 percent of sampled wells in parts of New Hanover County exceeded health-based standards for certain PFAS compounds.
Statewide investments totaling $472 million through NCDEQ aim to help municipalities strengthen infrastructure against storms, improve existing systems, reduce chemical contamination, and replace lead pipes. With recent funding included, total state support for CFPUA’s Southside Replacement Project has reached $192.8 million.
Governor Stein has prioritized improvements to North Carolina’s water systems since taking office as governor—the state’s chief executive who leads policy direction according to its official website. He has advanced over $1.4 billion in projects targeting drinking water safety and contaminant removal during his tenure as governor—he is serving as North Carolina’s 76th governor (official website). Last week he discussed ongoing needs at Winston-Salem’s annual Emerging Issues Forum.
As Attorney General prior to becoming governor, Stein sued DuPont and Chemours for contaminating local waterways with persistent chemicals known as “forever chemicals” and filed lawsuits against several other users or dischargers statewide; those legal cases are still pending.
More information about Division of Water Infrastructure funding programs can be found here.