EPA, NCDEQ officials tour CFPUA Sweeney Plant

State and Federal officials toured the CFPUA Sweeney Plant on Wednesday afternoon following their visit to the third National PFAS Conference in Wilmington.

NEW HANOVER COUNTY, NC (WWAY) — State and Federal officials toured the CFPUA Sweeney Plant on Wednesday afternoon following their visit to the third National PFAS Conference in Wilmington.

The EPA announced four drinking water health advisories for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances and announced $1 billion in grant funding to address PFAS and other emerging contaminants in drinking water.

Following the announcement, EPA Assistant Administrator for Water Radhika Fox and NC DEQ Secretary Elizabeth Biser toured the CFPUA Sweeney Plane where enhancements are underway to reduce PFAS chemicals in our water.

“We’re going to be removing them at a level where they will be at or near non-detection, so clearly it’s going to be a much better water supply,” CFPUA Executive Director of Treatment and Engineering Carel Vandermeyden said.

The enhancements are a $43-million project that will use granular activated carbon to remove the chemicals. Construction is set to be complete this summer and CFPUA anticipates customers could start seeing the benefits shortly after.

Vandermeyden says the customers are paying for the enhancements now, but CFPUA is working to hold the polluters accountable.

“We didn’t have the luxury to sit back and wait and let that process take its course first,” Vandermeyden said. “We felt from a public health perspective that we fund and construct these facilities and get them to operate and remove the PFAS. Then in a parallel path, go through the legal process to ultimately hold the polluter accountable.”