The Fayetteville Public Works Commission (PWC) has been awarded $30 million in state and federal funding to support PWC’s construction of a Granulated Activated Carbon (GAC) facility for the treatment of PFAS chemicals. In addition, PWC will also be receiving $1 million in support of Operation Clean & Clear, PWC’s program to inventory water service lines to remain in compliance with recent changes to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Lead & Copper Rule.

The announcement from Governor Roy Cooper and the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality (NCDEQ) of the $30 million funding support is in addition to previously announced funding. To date, PWC has been awarded more than $60 million in principal forgiveness and low interest loans to go towards paying for the $80 million project currently under design and is expected to be completed in 2028. PWC also has improvements underway at the P.O. Hoffer Water Treatment Facility to expand the Powder Activated Carbon (PAC) filtration system to be completed in 2026. These improvements will allow the removal of modest amounts of PFAS from the drinking water until the GAC filtration system is completed.

“We are grateful for the funding from Governor Cooper and Secretary Biser in support of PWC’s mission critical upgrades to our Water Treatment process that will remove PFAS chemicals in our source water,” said Timothy Bryant, CEO/General Manager of Fayetteville PWC in a press release. “For years, PWC has been a leader in delivering drinking water meeting or exceeding regulatory requirements. Our customers deserve the absolute best drinking water, and these funds will ensure that we are able to continue meeting that standard every day. We will continue to pursue federal, state, and local dollars whenever available.”

Below is a breakdown of the total funding support for PWC’s PFAS filtration improvements and for Operation Clean & Clear: