County officials said they shut off an iron-and-manganese treatment plant after a line installed by a contractor broke during Thanksgiving week, discharging material that caused more than 50 calls reporting discolored water.

"I'm embarrassed for us to even be dealing with this contractor and this ordeal," public information officer Mark Turlington told the board, saying the county cut the treatment plant off and will not return it to service until staff are "110% sure" it is safe. He said the county, the county manager and the county attorney have been in firm discussions with the contractor about the incident.

The board also approved financial and procurement steps aimed at expanding water service and improving testing. Staff asked the board to adopt a capital project ordinance to reserve state grant funds for northern and southern test wells; the board voted to adopt that ordinance. Separately, commissioners tentatively awarded a contract for GFL landfill water-main extensions to the low bidder; staff reported the lowest bid as $3,701,287.

Residents at public comment pressed the board for clearer action on contamination, filtration and timelines. Retired Sergeant Charles Royer raised concerns about PFAS and whether the county's treatment and point-of-use filters adequately protect people who shower and bathe: "They say you can shower, take a bath. But if you've got kids playing and they get skinned and bruised... that PFAS is getting in the system," he said. Antoinette James of Roseboro said residents have spent personal funds to keep wells running and demanded municipal solutions: "We deserve clean drinking water just like everybody else," she said.

County staff provided operational details: recruitment for the last phase of a water-main extension began Nov. 17 and runs through Jan. 15, with a booster pump expected in roughly two months for the Avenue community; if the board approves the GFL contract later, staff said recruitment for that project would run Jan. 12–March 11 and sign-ups could receive half-price service for that period. Staff also said test-well work awaits contractor mobilization and that the contract on the test wells had not yet begun as of the meeting.

The board did not take additional, separate emergency policy action at the meeting beyond the operational steps and procurement approvals; staff said they will continue negotiating with the contractor, pursue the state grant-funded test wells, and proceed with the procurement process for the landfill water-main project. The county manager and staff said they will return to the board with updates and recommended next procedural steps.

Next steps: staff will monitor remediation work at the Faison Highway plant, continue discussions with the contractor, proceed with the capital project ordinance implementation for test wells, and, if approved, finalize the GFL contract award for the $3,701,287 bid.