(Central Square) – Federal funds are pouring into North Carolina to address the problem of toxic chemicals in drinking water that has plagued several southeastern counties for years.

The Environmental Protection Agency on Tuesday announced a $61.7 million grant to North Carolina to eliminate contaminants, including per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, from drinking water.

“This grant will provide our communities with the tools they need to ensure that all North Carolina residents have access to the clean, safe drinking water they need and deserve,” said U.S. Senator Tom Tillis, R-NC. “I applaud the EPA for investing in our great state, and I’m proud to have worked on the bipartisan infrastructure bill to make this grant possible.”

PFAS, as the substances are commonly known, are widely used long acting chemicals whose components break down very slowly over time. Studies vary in their harmful effects; more is known about their effects on animals than on humans. The Environmental Protection Agency reports that PFAS are “found in water, air, fish and soil at various locations across the country” and around the world.

North Carolina is currently developing work plans for submission to the federal government, which will review proposals before work begins. Project awards will span four years.

In 2017, the media reported that one of the PFAS chemicals, GenX, was entering and polluting the Cape Fear River. It has since been detected in the air and groundwater near the Fayetteville Works on the Bladen-Cumberland county line.

The area is home to chemical giant DuPont and a subsidiary of Chemours. The Cape Fear River supplies drinking water to Wilmington and other communities downstream. The North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality has stopped discharging industrial wastewater into the Cape Fear River and has dramatically reduced PFAS air emissions from Chemours.

Chemours currently samples private drinking water wells in four counties: Bladen, Cumberland, Robson and Sampson; in an area approximately 10 miles south and 25 miles north of the Fayetteville Works facility. As part of the 2019 Consent Order, the company is also supplying residents with contaminated water with filtration systems.

The federal money, announced Tuesday, will come from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s New Pollutants in Small or Low-Income Communities Grants Program to reduce PFAS in drinking water, part of a broader $5 billion effort over the the next five years.

“EPA has announced funds for North Carolina as part of a $2 billion allocation to states and territories that can be used to prioritize infrastructure and treat source water for contaminants such as PFAS and other emerging contaminants, and conduct water quality audits. “, the message says. Read the EPA issue.

The Grants Program Implementation Document states that “funding will be used to provide work plans aimed at assisting public water systems that serve small or low-income communities”, with priority given to those “who are unable to incur debt and who may benefit most from this funding opportunity.”

U.S. Rep. Alma Adams, NC-12, said $61.7 million flowing into North Carolina will be used to continue work already underway along the Cape Fear River to clean up existing pollution and provide access to clean water. for the rural population.

“Exposure to high levels of PFAS is thought to increase the risk of high blood pressure or preeclampsia in pregnant women, and has a host of other negative health effects,” she said. “Ever since PFAS, known as GenX, was discovered in the Cape Fear River, the NC Department of Environmental Quality has been committed to protecting communities, protecting drinking water, and cleaning up existing pollution. These grants will help continue this work by promoting access to safe and clean water in small, rural and disadvantaged communities, creating jobs.”

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