Four local governments in the Border Belt agreed to settle with Chemours over its pollution in the eastern part of the state, the parties announced last week.
The company will pay Bladen, Columbus, and Robeson counties and the city of Lumberton at least $66.4 million over the next 10 years for what the company said in a press release involved both the plant and “claims of PFAS contamination unrelated to that site” on the border of Cumberland and Bladen counties.
The Fayetteville Works plant produces PFAS, per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances found in water, soil, and homes. Exposure to the forever chemicals is linked to an increased risk of cancer, thyroid disease, reproductive problems, and developmental delays in children, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
The local settlements are part of a larger agreement in which Chemours will pay $455 million to North Carolina and 10 local governments and a water entity near the Fayetteville Works plant. It’s the largest environmental damage payment in North Carolina’s history.
The state will receive $75 million, and the local governments decided how to split the remaining $380 million. Cumberland County, the most impacted by Chemours’ PFAS contamination, received the largest cut: $161.5 million.
“People want clean drinking water,” Attorney General Jeff Jackson told the Border Belt Independent after the settlement was announced on September 10. “They also want these companies to be held accountable for polluting it in the first place. What this deal does is take big steps towards both of those.”
As part of the settlement, DuPont, Chemours’ former parent company, would pay $135 million if Chemours goes bankrupt during the payment period.
Earlier this summer, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency settled a case with Chemours in which North Carolina and other states alleged the company violated federal drinking and environmental protections. The deal will bring about $2 million per year to North Carolina to address water pollution. North Carolina leaders denounced the deal, saying it didn’t do enough to hold Chemours accountable.
Reid Wilson, secretary of the N.C. Department of Environmental Quality, said the state can still take Chemours to court if the company violates the settlement agreement announced last week. It can also take Chemours back to court if the company violates the 2019 consent order it entered into with the state, which began the company’s mandatory clean-up and mitigation efforts.
Local governments can use the money however they want, Jackson said. Many have already spent millions of dollars to remove forever chemicals from their water supplies.
Here’s how Bladen and Robeson counties and Lumberton plan to spend their money. Columbus County Attorney Amanda Prince said she could not provide a breakdown of how it will spend the money by this story’s deadline.
Bladen County
Bladen County will receive $26.6 million over the next 10 years. That’s in addition to about $10 million Chemours has already paid toward the county’s water infrastructure since 2019.
The county said in a press release last week it will spend the newly announced money on water infrastructure, including improvements to its 465 miles of water lines and nine water towers.
“This settlement represents a significant investment in the future of Bladen County,” Cameron McGill, chair of the Bladen County Board of Commissioners, said in the release. “The county’s priority is to ensure that these funds are used responsibly and strategically.”
Robeson County
Robeson County will receive $22.8 million over the next 10 years, including $2.3 million the first year.
The county plans to use the money to install filtration systems at public water systems, according to a press release. Robeson has about 27,700 active water customers, according to County Attorney Rob Davis.
Robeson will also use some funds to monitor its landfill in St. Pauls. Residents near the site are suing the county, alleging the landfill is leaching PFAS into their water. In response to residents’ concerns, the county is piloting a carbon filtration system at its Rocco Treatment Plant, which provides county water to St. Pauls.
“We hear the calls from our community members,” county leaders said in a press release last week about the Chemours settlement, “and we are entirely committed to using every penny of these funds to secure a clean, healthy, and safe environment for our children and future generations.”
The landfill case is currently in mediation, according to court documents. County commissioners told residents in August they believe the PFAS is coming from the Fayetteville Works plant and not the landfill. Edge told the Border Belt Independent last week that “everything that’s done at our facility is done by the law.”
Lumberton
The city of Lumberton will receive $17 million over the next 10 years. The money will go toward a filtration system at the city’s water treatment plant on Lowery Street, City Manager Wayne Horne told The Robesonian last week.
The plant treats 16 million gallons of water per day to serve between 20,000 and 30,000 people, according to the city’s website. In July 2025, the city’s water tests detected minor amounts of three types of PFAS, according to its most recent water quality report.
Horne told The Robesonian that city officials are still determining what kind of filtration system to install. He said ongoing testing, through a pair of $500,000 state grants, will determine whether the city selects a powder-activated carbon, reverse osmosis, or granular-activated carbon system, all of which have been shown to filter PFAS out of water.