It’s now expected to cost almost $111.2 million for the Fayetteville Public Works Commission to build a filter system to extract PFAS “forever chemicals” from its drinking water, according to PWC documents.
This is $30.2 million more than a previous estimate of $80 million.
The PWC is Fayetteville’s city-owned water, sewer and electricity utility. It serves Fayetteville and nearby communities. The PWC’s customers pay its expenses through their bills.
The $111.2 million price includes anticipated inflation as the construction advances over the next several years, said Cory Hopkins, a senior associate for engineering firm Hazen and Sawyer, during the PWC commissioners’ Sept. 11 meeting. Also, Hopkins said, labor, material and equipment costs are rising, and there’s growing demand for contractors.
Another factor in the new price stems from a need to increase the water treatment capacity of the Glenville Lake water treatment plant, Hopkins said, from the current 18 million gallons per day to 24 million gallons per day.
The PWC has another water treatment plant on the Cape Fear River.
What are PFAS ‘forever chemicals’?
PFAS chemicals are man-made substances known as “forever chemicals” because they are slow to break down in the environment. They have been used in many everyday consumer, industrial and commercial products for decades. In southeastern North Carolina, GenX is a well-known PFAS chemical because, for years, the Chemours factory south of Fayetteville contaminated the Cape Fear River and nearby drinking water wells with that substance.
The Environmental Protection Agency in April ordered drinking water utilities to begin removing PFAS from their supplies. The EPA says PFAS chemicals may increase cancer risks, may decrease fertility and cause high blood pressure in pregnant women, weaken the immune system and cause other health issues.
Drinking water utilities are required to have their filters or other means to decrease PFAS contaminants in place by 2029.
Hazen and Sawyer’s presentation says, under the EPA’s rules, two types of PFAS chemicals will be limited to no more than 4 parts per trillion, and three other types will be limited to 10 parts per trillion. GenX is one of those that will be limited to 10 parts per trillion.
Tests in recent years for PFAS chemicals in the PWC’s water have shown running averages of 4.27 parts per trillion to 24.23 parts per trillion.
What is the PWC doing about PFAS?
The PWC is installing an interim filtration system to reduce PFAS levels beginning in fall 2025, according to Hazen and Sawyer’s presentation to the PWC commissioners. The interim system will help, PWC Communications Manager Gavin MacRoberts said, but will not be as effective as the $111.2 million system.
The $111.2 million filter system is being designed and is scheduled to go to bid in May 2025 in order to be operational by the EPA’s 2029 deadline.
To pay for the filtration system, the PWC has previously:
Obtained $21.5 million in state and federal government loans that were forgiven.
Obtained a $39 million state loan at 1.04% interest.
Those loans total $60.5 million.
After listening to Hazen and Sawyer’s presentation, the PWC commissioners voted unanimously on Sept. 11 to seek another loan from the state for $51.2 million.