North Carolina Directs $17M to Connect PFAS-Hit Homes to Clean Water

North Carolina Governor Josh Stein announced $17 million in federal grants to extend public water lines to more than 300 homes in New Hanover County where private wells are contaminated with PFAS — marking one of the largest single-county deployments of EPA emerging contaminants funding to date.

The Contamination

More than 75% of sampled wells in the affected areas exceeded health-based drinking water standards for PFAS compounds, according to the governor's March 5 announcement. The Cape Fear River Basin has been a focal point of PFAS contamination concerns for years, with the Cape Fear Public Utility Authority (CFPUA) installing new filters at its Sweeney Water Treatment Plant in 2022 to remove GenX and other per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances.

The $17 million will fund waterline extension projects connecting those households to CFPUA's treated public water supply. A separate $17.8 million allocation supports capacity upgrades at CFPUA's Southside Water Reclamation Facility.

Part of a Bigger Picture

The grants flow through the EPA's Emerging Contaminants in Small or Disadvantaged Communities program, which distributes $1 billion annually through FY2026 — the program's final funded year. North Carolina's broader water infrastructure push totals $472 million across 66 counties for drinking water and wastewater projects.

What Other Communities Should Know

With 2026 as the last year of the EPA's $5 billion PFAS grant authorization, communities that haven't applied for emerging contaminants funding face a closing window. State environmental agencies serve as the pass-through for these EPA grants, meaning local water utilities and municipalities should work through their state DEQ offices now.

Granted tracks EPA and state environmental grants as they become available. For more on PFAS funding strategies, visit the Granted blog.