The Board of Commissioners will hold a special meeting Monday, July 18, at 6 p.m. to discuss recommendations to address the contamination of private wells.
FAYETTEVILLE, N.C. – The Cumberland County Board of Commissioners will hold a special meeting Monday, July 18, at 6 p.m. to discuss recommendations to address the contamination of private wells due to GenX and other PFAS chemicals in portions of the County.
The meeting follows the June 15 release by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) of new health advisory levels for four PFAS chemicals including GenX, PFOA, PFOS and PFBS, the result of which would add an estimated 1,300 additional private well users in Cumberland County who will be eligible for whole building filtration or public water connection.
The Board of Commissioners approved $258,600 in the FY 2023 adopted budget to move forward with Phase 1 of the Gray’s Creek Water Project to extend water into the Gray’s Creek Water and Sewer District to serve two elementary schools and residential customers located along this route. The Board has allocated $21 million for the project from various funding sources, and the County is seeking additional funding from State and Federal grants to complete the project. County staff plan to engage the community with public education and outreach as the project moves forward.
To address contamination beyond Gray’s Creek, County Manager Amy Cannon is asking the board to consider creating two new water and sewer districts – Cedar Creek Water and Sewer District and East Central Water and Sewer District. Her recommendation also includes exploring the feasibility of serving the existing Vander Water and Sewer District.
The agenda packet, including maps of the proposed districts, is available on the County’s website at cumberlandcountync.gov.
The special meeting will be held in Room 118 the Judge E. Maurice Braswell Cumberland County Courthouse, located at 117 Dick Street, Fayetteville. The meeting will be streamed on the “CumberlandCountyNC” YouTube Channel, through the county website and on CCNCTV.
In addition to Monday’s special meeting, the N.C. Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) will host an in-person community information meeting on July 26 at 6 p.m. at the Crown Theatre at 1960 Coliseum Drive, Fayetteville, to share information and answer questions about how the EPA’s newly released, lower health advisory for GENX impacts private drinking water well sampling in Cumberland County, and to provide additional updates including an overview about potential health effects and ways to reduce exposure. Anyone with questions is encouraged to attend this meeting.
For more information about Cumberland County government, please visit cumberlandcountync.gov.