Residents tell Sampson County commissioners PFAS found in wells, urge county to extend water service

Residents of Sampson County told the Board of Commissioners at a public meeting that recent tests found PFAS in private wells and asked the board to seek county water extensions and grant funding to address the contamination.

Elaine F. Hunt, who identified herself as a resident at 7171 Old Warsaw Road, told commissioners she and neighbors have been seeking help for two years. “Each 1 told me, like I realized, I can't apply for a grant, but Sampson County Board of Commissioners can to extend water to our area,” Hunt said. She said a state team tested about 16 households in her area; results had been returned for 14 and “half of the ones that were tested have the PFAS.” She said the state delivered bottled water to affected households.

The residents’ requests focused on two concrete items: that the county apply for available grants to extend county water and that the county help prioritize affected neighborhoods for water infrastructure.

Antoinette James, a longtime resident of the Highsmith side of Roseboro, described…