Fayetteville Approves $133.7M PFAS Filtration Project to Meet EPA Deadlines

The Fayetteville Public Works Commission voted Wednesday to hire Harper General Contractors for $133.7 million. They'll build PFAS filtration systems at two water treatment plants. The decision lets the city comply with U.S. Environmental Protection Agency anti-pollution rules.

Construction starts late summer and runs until 2029, two years ahead of the EPA's 2031 deadline. The filtering systems use granular activated carbon to remove per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances from water supplies during processing.

"Completion of this project is projected to be by 2029, ahead of the EPA's deadline," CEO and General Manager Timothy Bryant said in a statement, per CityView. "This was made possible by PWC's proactive approach to addressing PFAS in our source water."

The building-sized facilities will serve Fayetteville, Hope Mills, Spring Lake, Stedman, parts of Cumberland County, Fort Bragg, and Hoke County. PFAS substances are human-made chemicals used in consumer and industrial products that may pose health hazards.

Harper General Contractors, based in Greenville, South Carolina, submitted the winning bid. Two other companies submitted higher proposals: T.A. Loving of Goldsboro at $164.1 million and M.B. Kahn Water Works of Columbia, South Carolina, at $169.6 million.

The utility secured $84 million in funding from loans and state sources. This includes $58 million in loans, with $3 million awarded by the state in February, plus $26 million in loans whose principal amounts will be forgiven.

PWC voted in February 2025 to raise water and sewer rates, effective May 1 of last year and again on May 1 this year. Grants and low-interest loans help reduce cost impacts on customers.

A separate $24.9 million water treatment facility at the Hoffer plant has operated since September. That smaller system captures some PFAS, but it isn't as effective as the larger systems.