H2GO’s reverse osmosis treatment plant begins pumping water to customers

BRUNSWICK COUNTY, N.C. (WECT) - H2GO’s new reverse osmosis treatment plant in Brunswick County is now operational and is working to process millions of gallons of clean drinking water for customers in the northern part of the county.

H2GO Executive Director Bob Walker says the company is no longer purchasing water from Brunswick County. Walker says the county draws its water from the Brunswick River.

“As of [Tuesday] morning, before we started operations, the water that we were purchasing from Brunswick County had the PFAS contaminants in it,” said Walker. “Today, the water that we’re delivering is completely contaminant free.”

Walker says the water is likely free of PFAS compounds because H2GO is using underground aquifers as the source for bringing water to the facility, which is then treated and distributed to nearly 40,000 people.

“Running it through the RO process to remove the salts or the brackish nature of the water that we’re pulling from, we’re setting a gold standard for finished water in this area,” said Walker.

The project has faced a host of legal and supply chain-related struggles over the course of several years. H2GO Commissioner Steve Hosmer says the cost of the project will not result in higher rates for customers.

“It’s no additional cost because the county charges us for the water that we distribute to our customers,” said Hosmer. “And now that we’re not paying that money to the county, we’re able to service the debt that it took to get this plant operational.”

The company is conducting a flushing program to purge the distribution systems of existing water. During this process, which could last for weeks, customers may notice changes in water pressure or quality, according to H2GO.

Walker says at the end of the day, this is a step forward in the fight to bring clean drinking water to southeastern North Carolina.

“It means that, without question, you can take a drink of water and not have to worry about the PFAS contaminants. It’s all about clean water at this point,” said Walker.

Click here for more information on the H2GO reverse osmosis water treatment plant.

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