STATEMENT ON DUKE ENERGY FINE FOR SUTTON PLANT COAL ASH CONTAMINATION
From Jim Flechtner, CFPUA Executive Director:
Nothing is more important to the Cape Fear Public Utility Authority than providing safe and reliable drinking water to our customers. It is important to note – as this fine is announced - that there is not a current health risk to CFPUA’s customers. Our testing data continues to show the drinking water wells remain in compliance with federal and state drinking water regulations.
While CFPUA is not a regulatory agency, for years our groundwater and water quality experts have closely monitored and documented the potential impact of groundwater contamination on our wells in the Flemington area. When we reviewed the data and found the potential for future water quality issues, we immediately reached an agreement with Duke Energy for additional monitoring wells on their property near the Sutton Plant. These wells provide vital information that helps ensure us we will receive plenty of warning before groundwater contamination could impact our wells.
Given the nature of our concerns, we also looked beyond the short term. We reached an agreement with Duke Energy to secure clean drinking water for the Flemington community for decades to come by constructing a pipeline to connect Flemington to CFPUA’s central water system. We are currently in the middle of the bidding process for construction and the entire pipeline project will be completed in less than two years. Based on the locations and rates of motion for the contamination located in the area, it will be completed well before any contamination could impact the drinking water wells.
Mike
Mike McGill
Chief Communications Officer
Cape Fear Public Utility Authority (CFPUA)
Stewardship. Sustainability. Service.
Office: (910) 332-6704
On call: (910) 622-8472
mike.mcgill@cfpua.org
communications@cfpua.org