A new water line connecting homes and businesses in the Flemington Community to the area’s main water supply is now in the works.
The small community near the Duke Energy Progress Sutton Plant in New Hanover County is currently dependent upon well water.
It was groundwater contamination coming from nearby coal ash basins at the Sutton Plant that raised concerns about the future of Flemington’s well water. While the current well water serving the area is completely safe, according to CFPUA Spokesman Mike McGill, building a pipeline to connect the area to the main system has long been part of the master plan.
“If we move forward now, we could solve this problem before there’s even the hint that there could be an issue with the wells. It just was a win-win all the way around – for the community, for us, and for Duke to start moving forward with the construction of a pipeline. But the actual timetable – when we would expect to see a potential problem – we didn’t know for sure.”
Duke has already installed two new monitoring wells that track potential water quality issues as construction proceeds. And the utility giant will also pay the first $1.5 million of what could be up to a $2.25 million project.
McGill says the project is in the design phase and must still be put out for bid, but he expects completion in about two years.
Public Meeting Details:
The public meeting to discuss the project will take place on February 4th at 7 p.m. in the auditorium at the U.S.S North Carolina Battleship Museum.
During the meeting, representatives from CFPUA will detail the agreement, what it means for residents and businesses in the area, and address questions or concerns from the community.