8Cumberland County plans to install PFAS “forever chemical” filters at Gray’s Creek Elementary and Alderman Road Elementary, and possibly dig new drinking water supply wells for the schools.
Students and staff have been told for years they must not drink the water in their schools because the water was contaminated with GenX, a PFAS chemical from the Chemours Co. factory south of Gray’s Creek. They use bottled water instead.
Gray’s Creek resident Ron Ross, who has long lobbied the government on the contaminated water issue, was glad to hear the news. His grandson used to attend Alderman Road Elementary.
“If they do it, the kids will be able to drink the water out of the fountains,” Ross said. “They’ll be able to safely use the water in the kitchen. … It’s something until we run water lines out to the schools.”
The PFAS contamination of southeastern North Carolina, which was first reported in summer 2017, also affected homes and businesses in Gray’s Creek. There are long-term plans to extend public water to Gray’s Creek from the Fayetteville Public Works Commission. Those efforts are continuing, County Manager Clarence Grier said, and an update is expected in two to three months.
Researchers have linked PFAS chemicals to adverse health effects, including increased risk of cancer. They are known as “forever chemicals” because they don’t break down in the environment. The county has a lawsuit pending against Chemours.
While residents wait for a public water system to replace their contaminated wells, the county Board of Commissioners voted unanimously on Monday to place the PFAS filters at Gray’s Creek Elementary and Alderman Road Elementary.
The commissioners decided on Monday to install 12 filter systems at each school as a stopgap effort to clear up the water. This is estimated to cost from $90,000 to $115,000 and take two to four months to install. Grier said the installation would be done in the summer.
Operating costs for the filter systems are estimated to total $20,745 to $48,000 per year, according to a county memo.
The commissioners also voted to have the county staff evaluate a different type of filter system, that is estimated to cost $150,000 to $245,000 to install, plus annual operating costs of $18,000 to $35,175. The estimated installation time is seven to 11 months.
And the commissioners told the staff to study whether deep water wells could be dug to reach uncontaminated water. This is estimated at $200,000 to $245,000, and seven to 11 months.
“Our children there, and our children in all the parts of the county, deserve to have clean drinking water at their schools,” Commissioner Henry Tyson said. “Right now, these schools, they’re drinking out of bottled water. So it’s important that we as a board are pushing forward with this item.”

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