Brunswick County Northwest Water Treatment Project Progress Update (August 2026)

PUBLIC NOTICE

Brunswick County is providing an update on the expansion and low-pressure reverse osmosis (LPRO) water treatment upgrades project at the Northwest Water Treatment Plant as of August 2026. Brunswick County is committed to ensuring this project is completed as planned and designed.

The project’s surety and contractor expect the plant’s expanded water treatment capacity will be available in August 2026 and expect the LPRO system to be operational by the end of calendar year 2026.

There are still no expected changes to the original construction cost of $167.3 million, and the County reserves the right to deduct liquidated damages from the project cost due to the contractor’s delays. There are no planned increases to any water rates due to the delays to this project.

Recently Completed Project Tasks

• Now Complete – New Rapid Mix Structure: Crews have completed the new rapid mix structure to accommodate the expanded treatment capacity. Rapid mixing is an important step in the drinking water treatment process that involves quickly blending coagulant chemicals into raw water to neutralize particle charge before it is sent to the next step of the treatment process.
• Now Complete – Super Pulsator Clarifier: Crews upgraded the existing pulsator clarifiers with the addition of super pulsator technology, which combines flocculation (gentle stirring to combine small neutral-charged particles into larger particles) and clarification functions in one basin.
• Now Complete – Additional Dual Media Filters and Backwash Equalization Tank: The expanded treatment capacity required eight (8) new filters. The 0.5 MG Backwash Equalization Tank was needed as a source of backwash water for the additional filters and as a tank for the LPRO to pull water from.

The project’s surety, Zurich American Insurance Company and Federal Insurance Company, has been working with a management group since September 2025 to provide oversight of the project and ensure task completion by the construction contractor Oscar Renda Construction (ORC). Any updates to the project schedule are provided to the County by the project’s surety.

Brunswick County will continue to take all actions necessary to protect the best interests of our residents, who have waited far too long for a solution to remove PFAS from our drinking water. Brunswick County will provide another update on the latest project milestones in the coming months.

History & County’s Actions to Address PFAS

Brunswick County has been concerned about the presence of PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, which are a large group of man-made chemicals sometimes referred to as “forever chemicals”) in our drinking water since 2017 when news broke that the Cape Fear River had been contaminated by PFAS as a result of releases from Chemours’ Fayetteville Works facility. The County immediately began seeking solutions to remove PFAS compounds from our drinking water. The reverse osmosis system being installed is considered the most effective treatment system to remove PFAS compounds from drinking water.

Brunswick County also joined other utilities in the region to sue DuPont and Chemours. The County is seeking monetary damages from Chemours to hold it responsible for the millions of dollars it is spending to install a new treatment system necessary to remove PFAS contaminants. The lawsuit remains active and ongoing. 

Individuals can learn more about the Northwest Water Treatment Plant Expansion and Reverse Osmosis Treatment Upgrades Project at brunswickcountync.gov/nwtp.

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