PWC, Cumberland County to bring water to Gray's Creek in move that will affect 75,000

GRAY'S CREEK — About 75,000 residents in Gray's Creek will be able to access water from the Fayetteville Public Works Commission in a community that has been ground zero for pollution from so-called "forever chemicals," according to PWC and Cumberland County officials.

Glenn Adams, chair of the Cumberland County Board of Commissioners, announced the partnership at a press conference on a sunny Friday afternoon in front of Gray's Creek Elementary School on School Road. Students and staff at the school use bottled water and have not been able to drink from the water fountains since 2017, according to a staff member in the front office. Alderman Elementary School, located on Alderman Road and around the corner, is in a similar situation.

More: EPA head Michael Regan returns to NC, announces new standards for 'forever chemicals'

Adams said the PWC and county partnership will mean safe drinking water for these schools as well as other residents in Gray's Creek.

He said: "As part of this collaborative effort, PWC will expand its current water system to provide source water and service, not only to Gray's Creek and the Alderman Road elementary schools, but to the entire Gray's Creek Water and Sewer District."

Other speakers on Friday were Donald L. Porter, chair of the PWC; Dr. Jennifer Green, the county Public Health Director; Dr. Toni Stewart, a county commissioner; Clarence Grier, the county manager; and Timothy Bryant, CEO and general manager of the PWC.

The $100 million initiative is a first step for the area, Adams said, a point echoed by Bryant, who said $40 million to $50 million of the money was available to start. Bryant said in his remarks that initial engineering is scheduled to begin next Wednesday.

Funding comprises a mix of federal, state, county and PWC money. The State Water Infrastructure Authority approved a $15 million grant for Cumberland County in February 2023 for the Gray’s Creek water project. The money comes from President Joe Biden's American Rescue Plan and Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.

Funding will also come from a $1 billion national initiative through the Biden Administration's infrastructure plan; the money was announced this week by Michael Regan, the Environmental Protection Agency administrator, who visited Fayetteville on Wednesday to highlight EPA standards that will require utilities to regulate six types of PFAS.

The chemical compounds, which include GenX, are called forever chemicals because of their permanence in the environment. They are used commercially in products like non-stick coating and firefighting foam and have been linked to certain cancers and other harmful health effects.

County lawsuit

The county sued The Chemours Co. in 2022 alleging its Fayetteville Works factory at the Bladen-Cumberland county line has contaminated drinking water wells of county residents with toxic chemicals since the 1970s.

State officials started investigating the Fayetteville Works facility in 2017 following reports, published by the Wilmington StarNews, that researchers had discovered GenX and other chemicals in the Cape Fear River.

GenX and other per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances, known as PFAS, were later found in private wells around the plant. Chemours has provided bottled water and water filtration systems to affected homes near its plant, including homes in the Gray's Creek community, as part of a consent agreement negotiated between Chemours, the Department of Environmental Quality; and the Southern Environmental Law Center, representing Cape Fear River Watch.

On Friday, county and PWC officials factored in money that might be won in the county's lawsuit, but Adams said the county would not be "waiting" on the lawsuit money and would continue to be proactive.

During a question-and-answer session, Mike Watters, a community activist who has brought increased attention to PFAS — which he says has personally impacted his health — complimented the county on pursuing the lawsuit. He also said residents should consider joining one of his or other residents' lawsuits against Chemours.

Action taken this month

Meanwhile, county officials have sought and allocated funding to get Gray’s Creek residents suitable water.

At an April 1 meeting, commissioners unanimously approved awarding a $319,630 contract to Bill’s Well Drilling for well drilling and testing in the northern area of Gray’s Creek.

“It’s been a long time coming,” Commissioner Jimmy Keefe said.

Amanda Bader, general manager of Cumberland County National Resources, said the contract is known as Gray’s Creek Phase I, which will determine water quality and how many gallons of water per minute officials can expect from the wells.

The analysis is important in figuring out how many residents the wells can serve, Bader said.

“The water quality is important as well because we may encounter PFAS. We may encounter radionuclides (radioactive materials). We may encounter arsenic,” she said. “There are other things in groundwater besides PFAS (in) dealing with a natural system.”

Once the analysis is complete, Bader said, officials can start a treatability study to evaluate removing contaminants from the groundwater.

After all the data is gathered, officials can develop a toxicity index to inform residents of water quality and potential health impacts over time, she said.

Bader said the well drilling might last about two months, and it could take another 30-60 days for completed test results.

Bear country

The Gray's Creek Water and Sewer District was created in 2009 in accordance with a county master plan to extend water countywide, according to the Cumberland County website. That has not happened and is not currently in the works.

Commissioner Stewart, who lives in the area she calls "Bear Country" after the Gray's Creek High School mascot, encouraged residents to see the partnership as a sign the commissioners did not forget people in the area.

"We are concerned and we care about our rural communities as well, especially Gray's Creek but indeed Cedar Creek and everywhere east of the river."

Opinion Editor Myron B. Pitts can be reached at mpitts@fayobserver.com or 910-486-3559. Staff writer Rachael Riley can be reached at rriley@fayobserver.com or 910-486-3528.

This article originally appeared on The Fayetteville Observer: Gray's Creek, NC residents will get water from Cumberland County, PWC