Old Warsaw Road resident Elaine Hunt holds up a bottle of rust-colored water she said came from her faucet, showing it to members of the Sampson County Board of Commissioners, sending quiet gasps from those in attendance Monday night.
Ashley Holland, assistant public works director, talks to commissioners Monday night about possible grant funding to help resolve water issues on Mintz Highway and Old Warsaw Road.
She walked up to the podium with a bottle of orange-colored water, holding it up for the five-member Sampson County Board of Commissioners — and those in the audience — to see during Monday night’s meeting.
It wasn’t a sports drink or one colored by an additive, it was plain water, the color exactly, she said, that runs from her kitchen faucet.
“I see you all have a clean bottle of water sitting with you tonight,” began Old Warsaw Road resident Elaine Hunt as she spoke to the commissioner once again during the public comment section of the agenda. “This is my water. This is directly from the faucet at my house.”
Quiet gasps filled the auditorium.
The question of the night — “how much longer are we going to have to wait?”
Progress, county officials noted, was being made. Earlier in the meeting, Ashley Holland, the county’s assistant public works director, gave a report detailing some of that progress.
In his report, Holland updated the commissioners on the results of recent water testing, and potential funding opportunities for new water systems on Old Warsaw Road and Mintz Highway, two areas where complaints of bad water have been repeatedly reported. He offered information about what the department and Director of Public Works Mark Turlington, who was not able to attend Monday night’s meeting, have been doing.
“County residents have been making inquiries regarding PFAS. Some areas of concern already have access to county water; however, Mintz Highway and Old Warsaw Highway do not have access,” Holland explained. “Mr. Turlington asked DEQ (Department of Environmental Quality) about any available funding for the affected areas. DEQ advised Mr. Turlington that Sampson County will need to submit grant applications for both roads during the spring funding round. The applications can be submitted March 1.
“DEQ would not guarantee that these applications would be funded due to a limited amount of grant monies. If Sampson County applications are denied in the spring round of funding, they can be resubmitted in the fall.”
Holland went on to explain that Turlington had already been in contact with Dewberry Engineering about the possibility of having the applications accepted and preparing a plan to move forward as quickly as possible.
The Division of Water Infrastructure suggested that Sampson County apply for the Emergency Contaminants Funding, a program that helps community water systems address PFAS in drinking water.
“A preliminary opinion of the cost for the construction of water systems has been prepared,” Holland explained. “The overall cost for this project as for the Mintz expansion is $5,120,000. The cost for the Old Warsaw region is $3,531,50. The cost will be reviewed prior to submitting the application, and any updates will be shared with the commissioners.”
Commissioner Chip Crumpler III asked how long it would take to complete these projects if the funding was awarded in the spring.
“We’re probably looking at over a year,” Holland responded.
Crumpler asked if there was anything the impacted residents could do in the meantime to get assistance with the cost burden of buying or accessing clean water.
Holland explained that DEQ can give them more information, and, if residents call the Sampson County Public Works Department, he said, staff would point them in the right direction to get help.
“We’re going to do everything in our power to make sure that happens,” Holland noted.
Interim Sampson County Manager Jeffery Hudson added, “We can gather the information and put it on the Public Works portion of the website, so people can have instant information about who to call for assistance.”
Hudson said he had been to Public Works three times, applauding them for their efforts in doing everything they can to help the residents of the two affected areas, also noting the critical nature of PFAS actually helps their chances of being approved for funding.
“It’s not good to have PFAS, but the one thing about PFAS is it does tend to raise you in ranking when competing for state dollars — and state dollars are limited — but in the meantime, while we’re going after this with all we’ve got, we can provide that information people need on the website.”
Hunt, still holding her rust-colored water, thanked Turlington, Hollands, and the whole Public Works Department for the progress being made, but reminded the commissioners, “The ball is in your court. This is from my sink,” she said, “please remember that.”
The commissioners thanked her for her time and dedication to the matter.
Before the end of the meeting, Chairman Allen McLamb addressed the issue, stating, “We want to be as forthcoming as possible. We are here to serve you. I feel good about this and I promise you, if you give us a chance, we (the five county commissioners) will prove it to you.”