Well project brings clean drinking water to North Carolina community

A cooperative project involving the Environmental Protection Agency, North Carolina and local organizations is providing residents of Rougemont, North Carolina, with a permanent source of clean drinking water for the first time since 1992.
“Nothing is more reassuring than being able to turn on the tap and know that you’re drinking clean water,” Mark Petermann, who coordinated the project for North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality, said. “This project is one of the finest examples of the positive results you can have when local, federal and state agencies leverage their resources to serve a community in need.”
Rougemont has battled contaminated private drinking water wells since the 1980s, when evidence first emerged that nearby underground storage tanks were leaking; the community has been serviced by alternate water from the state since 1992. The EPA worked in conjunction with various state and local agencies to fund the project, which encompassed design and construction of a $2.6 million community well system.
“The county is thrilled to bring to a close not only a six-year county project in northern Durham County, but to bring to a positive conclusion a decades-old public health problem in Rougemont,” Durham County Chief of Staff Drew Cummings said. “The health of our county residents is a paramount concern for us, and we hope this new water system can also play a role in revitalizing the broader community in Rougemont. We are truly grateful for the financial contributions of the state and the EPA to this project, and also commend persistent citizens who helped this project come to fruition.”