County weighs temporary and permanent water fixes for two elementary schools; board sends options to infrastructure committee

Engineers and a county consultant presented options Jan. 9 to secure reliable, PFAS‑compliant water for Alderman Road Elementary and Grays Creek Elementary, and commissioners directed staff to take the proposed options to the infrastructure committee for rapid review and recommendation.

Mary Bryce of HDR outlined three options: (1) install point‑of‑use (POU) reverse‑osmosis units at drinking and kitchen fixtures as a short‑term, relatively fast remedy (estimated schedule 2–4 months); (2) upgrade and install point‑of‑entry (POE) granular-activated carbon treatment at each school’s source, which treats all water entering a building and requires state permitting (longer schedule and higher capital cost); or (3) drill new deeper bedrock wells for each school — an approach with uncertain yields and water quality that would require extensive permitting and could be the most expensive and slowest option.

Bryce noted current shallow (surficial) school wells produce sufficient flows, while bedrock well yields are variable and may be insufficient for school demand. She also said that point‑of‑use monitoring imposes ongoing laboratory and maintenance costs that can be substantial if the devices remain long term, whereas properly sized POE systems can reduce recurring lab costs but require more upfront capital and permitting.

Board members asked for lab reports, operational‑cost estimates, and additional well testing; county staff and HDR will provide a detailed cost and implementation analysis. Commissioners voted unanimously to send all three options to the Infrastructure Committee for more detailed study and to develop a funding approach; staff noted the county is also coordinating with Fayetteville Public Works Commission and the school district on longer‑term connections and solutions.