ELIZABETHTOWN — Chemours and Bladen County have reached agreement on a pact to fund public water system upgrades and connections.

The item passed unanimously during Tuesday’s regular session of the county commissioners meeting.

In 61 of 67 private wells west of the Cape Fear River in the county, sampling has determined the water produced exceeds in GenX compounds the level allowed by a Feb. 25, 2019 court order between Chemours, the N.C. Department of Environmental Quality, and Cape Fear River Watch. According to the document voted on, the county and Chemours believe existing water distribution mains are available to the 61.

In addition, testing in two wells — Tobermory and Live Oak — has confirmed detectable levels of chemical compounds, including GenX, but these are below the level in the court order. Chemours will install and operate a PFAS treatment system on each well; it takes on the expense for cost of design, permits, installation, maintenance, repair, labor and materials.

PFAS — GenX is one — is an acronym for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, a group of chemicals that have been in use for decades. The compounds have been used to make consumer products like cookware, food packaging and stain repellents. GenX and other similar chemicals have contaminated hundreds of private wells in Bladen and Cumberland counties. GenX is manufactured by Chemours at the Bladen County plant, and is a byproduct of processes at the facility.

The pact will put Chemours in operation of treatment systems at the wells for 20 years. It also contains a clause stipulating terms for Chemours being liable to pay the utility bill up to 20 years for any party that is connected to a public water system.

One clause in the agreement confirms the county is acknowledging Chemours to be making a good faith effort to assist in providing safe, quality drinking water to residents; another acknowledges the move as part of the court order.

At the meeting’s outset, A.J. Keating from the Tobermory community spoke of the need for water connections in light of uncertainties related to GenX. He was the evening’s only public forum speaker who spoke about drinking water.

In animal studies, GenX has been linked to cancer and other diseases, but it isn’t known if the effect is the same on humans. Chemours officials have said the amount of GenX found in wells around its plant is not harmful.

The plant site has been under the microscope since June 2017 when it was reported GenX was being released into the Cape Fear River. Since that time, further examination has revealed release of the chemical compound in ground water that supplies area residents’ wells and through the air.

In other actions:

• The board held a moment of silence before the meeting for Sharon Gillespie, wife of Commissioner Mark Gillespie, who died on Sunday. He did not attend. Commissioners Michael Cogdell and Dr. Ophelia Munn-Goins attended through the internet application Zoom.

• $1 million: Commissioners, during County Manager Greg Martin’s report, gave approval to the scope of work plan by ACT Associates on a $1 million federal grant awarded to the Health Department. The three-year grant will assist the Substance Misuse Task Force in its opioids response and plan implementation.

• Public hearing: The Community Transportation Program Human Service Resolution passed unanimously following a public hearing at which nobody spoke.

• Emergency Services: Four items related to Emergency Services passed, including one of the final Hurricane Matthew (2016) reconstruction projects. Also passing unanimously were a sheltering plan, a 192-page disaster recovery plan, and a statewide mutual aid agreement.

• Consent: Among the items passing in the consent agenda were two additional positions for the Child Protective Services Unit; an additional full-time temporary registered nurse and part-time temporary registered nurse; and another $10,478 worth of debris removal from a stream in East Arcadia.

Alan Wooten can be reached at 910-247-9132 or awooten@bladenjournal.com. Twitter: @JournalBladen.