Residents urge action as county prepares PFAS funding applications; DEQ testing and filtration concerns raised

County staff told the Sampson County Board of Commissioners they plan to submit multiple state applications this spring to address emerging contaminants after state DEQ testing identified elevated PFAS/PFOA concentrations in several areas of the county.

During an update on county water projects David Ralph (Dewberry) said two priority projects identified for emerging-contaminant remediation are in the Old Warsaw Road and Mince Highway areas. He said the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) performed much of the testing that identified higher concentrations and that the state’s funding cycle for these projects was opening; DEQ representatives told county staff that applications would open that week and be due April 30, 2025. Ralph said the county will come to the board next month with resolutions to submit the applications and that funding awards would be announced in late summer 2025.

Several residents from Roseboro and the Lakewood School Road area spoke during the public-comment period seeking faster relief. Antoinette James of 2314 Old Mints Highway (Roseboro) said she and neighbors received point-of-use filtration systems that county/DEQ representatives had previously installed, but she said the filters lasted only about nine months rather than the approximately two years she was told. James said she was told it costs about $200 for a technician to replace the filters and that residents were being told state funds for bottles of water and filter replacement were running out.

Andrea Rouse, who lives in the Snow Hill community, and other residents said they appreciated the board’s recent engagement but urged continued focus on Roseboro and Lakewood School Road, where residents reported wells going deeper and, in some cases, no longer producing reliable water. Ralph and other staff members reiterated that residents who want well testing should contact DEQ; Ralph said county staff were preparing resolutions to seek state funding through the emerging-contaminant cycle and would present them in April for board approval.

Public commenters and speakers raised several related concerns: the practical durability and replacement cost of point-of-use filters; uncertainty over whether DEQ will continue to provide bottled water or fund ongoing filter replacements; and localized water-table issues on Lakewood School Road where wells are running dry or require deeper drilling. Residents asked the board to ensure Roseboro is not overlooked in county planning.

County staff signaled they will submit at least two DEQ funding applications and possibly a third depending on state program fit, and will return to the board next month with resolutions to authorize application submittal. Ralph said the county will work with DEQ on testing and outreach; he emphasized that in some locations the state—not the county—performed the testing that identified PFAS contamination. Staff did not announce a firm timeline for remediation beyond the grant-application and award cycle they described.

Quotes from the meeting illustrate the residents’ concerns and the staff response. “We were told [filters] would last approximately two years. Not true. They last approximately nine months,” said Antoinette James. David Ralph told commissioners, “DEQ will test those [wells]” and that the county is preparing to apply for available remediation funds.