Brunswick County, North Carolina announced on 13 September 2026 that The Chemours Company, DuPont and Corteva have officially entered into a $95 million settlement agreement covering the County's costs to remove per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) from the Cape Fear River, its main source of drinking water Brunswick County (.gov). The deal closes nearly nine years of litigation against Chemours and DuPont Brunswick County (.gov) and is the County's share of a $590 million group settlement that also covers the State of North Carolina and 10 other local entities NRcolumbus.com.
Key takeaways
- Brunswick County receives $95 million from Chemours, DuPont and Corteva in a settlement filed 13 September 2026 Brunswick County (.gov).
- The County's share is part of a $590 million group settlement that includes the State of North Carolina and 10 other local entities NRcolumbus.com.
- Of the $590 million, $380 million goes to local entities, $75 million to the State, and $135 million to a reserve fund tied to the 2019 NC Consent Order Brunswick County (.gov).
- Brunswick County is installing a Low-Pressure Reverse Osmosis system at its Northwest Water Treatment Plant to treat Cape Fear River water; the project is under construction and expected to be operational by the end of calendar year 2026 Brunswick County (.gov).
- State and local governments have now recovered close to $2 billion in value for North Carolina, including the roughly $1.2 billion Chemours has already spent under the 2019 consent order WWAYTV3.
What happened
PFAS substances were first detected in the Cape Fear River in June 2017, and Brunswick County joined other utilities in suing DuPont and Chemours that same year Brunswick County (.gov). The lawsuit sought damages tied to the cost of installing a Low-Pressure Reverse Osmosis treatment system at the Northwest Water Treatment Plant to remove PFAS from drinking water sourced from the river Brunswick County (.gov). The contamination traced back to Chemours' Fayetteville Works facility in Bladen County, where DuPont began operating a chemical plant in the early 1970s and started using the area for PFAS disposal around 1980 WWAYTV3. The facility began releasing GenX and other PFAS into the air, soil and Cape Fear River WWAYTV3.
On 13 September 2026, Brunswick County announced that Chemours, DuPont and Corteva had officially entered into a $95 million settlement agreement Brunswick County (.gov). The agreement is part of a $590 million group settlement, Brunswick County v. DowDuPont, Inc. et. al. (Chemours), which also includes the State of North Carolina and 10 other local entities Brunswick County (.gov). The other parties are the Town of Wrightsville Beach, City of Lumberton, Village of Bald Head Island, Lower Cape Fear Water and Sewer Authority, and the counties of Bladen, Columbus, Cumberland, New Hanover, Robeson and Sampson Brunswick County (.gov). Of the $590 million, $380 million is allocated to local entities and $75 million to the State; the remaining $135 million is reserved under the N.C. Department of Environmental Quality's 2019 Consent Order to keep Chemours or DuPont PFAS cleanup obligations funded Brunswick County (.gov).
The settlement closes nearly nine years of litigation against Chemours and DuPont Brunswick County (.gov). Brunswick County will be paid out over the next eight years, front-loaded with slightly over $24 million in each of the first three years Brunswick County (.gov). Brunswick County officials said the proceeds will be used for the benefit of the water utility system and its customers, though the County is still considering options for how the money will be used Brunswick County (.gov). North Carolina Attorney General Jeff Jackson called it the largest environmental damages recovery in North Carolina history Robesonian.
"It's been a long time coming, but we are proud to stand up for our County and demand what is due for our community," Brunswick County Chairman Mike Forte said in a statement released 13 September 2026 Brunswick County (.gov). "Baron and Budd is privileged to have represented Brunswick County in this important litigation," said Attorney Stephen Johnston, adding that the settlement shifts the cost of removing PFAS from ratepayers to those responsible for the contamination Brunswick County (.gov).
The deal does not impose new operational or remediation requirements at Fayetteville Works or materially change the existing 2019 Consent Order between the State and Chemours WHQR, and includes no admission of liability by the companies Manufacturing Dive. The settlement does not resolve every PFAS case in the state; the Cape Fear Public Utility Authority has a separate ongoing lawsuit against Chemours and DuPont in Wilmington and parts of New Hanover County WWAYTV3.
Settlement breakdown
| Component | Amount | Recipient / purpose |
|---|---|---|
| Total group settlement | $590 million | State of North Carolina + 11 local entities Brunswick County (.gov) |
| State share | $75 million | State of North Carolina Brunswick County (.gov) |
| Local share | $380 million | 11 local governmental entities Brunswick County (.gov) |
| Reserve fund | $135 million | Backs Chemours' 2019 Consent Order cleanup obligations Brunswick County (.gov) |
| Brunswick County share | $95 million | Brunswick County, paid over 8 years, ~$24M in years 1-3 Brunswick County (.gov) |
| New Hanover County share | $22.8 million | New Hanover County, for PFAS work including private wells WHQR |
| Robeson County share | $22.8 million | Robeson County, including ~$2.3M in year one Robesonian |
| Lumberton share | ~ $17 million | City of Lumberton, over 10 years Robesonian |
Specification read
Brunswick County reports the cost of installing the new advanced water treatment infrastructure at the Northwest Water Treatment Plant at around $111.1 million, with the total Northwest project (including the new treatment system, concentrate pipeline, and water capacity expansion) at $167.3 million Brunswick County (.gov). The $95 million settlement is structured as eight annual payments, front-loaded with slightly over $24 million in each of the first three years Brunswick County (.gov), so the cash flow lines up reasonably well with the construction programme. The process train the County is installing is a Low-Pressure Reverse Osmosis system to remove PFAS from finished drinking water sourced from the Cape Fear River Brunswick County (.gov); it sits downstream of the existing surface-water clarification/filtration train and is paired with a dedicated concentrate pipeline to handle the RO reject Brunswick County (.gov). For background, full-scale municipal surface-water plants in the U.S. handling a river source for a regional drinking water system typically run at capacities from a few MLD (a few thousand m³/day) up to about 100+ MLD (~100,000+ m³/day) (general industry range, not from the sources); the source documents do not state the Northwest Water Treatment Plant's design flow in m³/day or MLD, so the capacity bucket is given as a class range only. Compared with conventional activated-sludge or MBR systems used for municipal biological wastewater, this is a different stage of the water cycle: it is a tertiary-grade membrane finishing step on a drinking-water clarifier, with concentrate management and PFAS-specific pretreatment (GAC, IX, or RO) being the design decisions a buyer would weigh.
If your plant is a municipal surface-water treatment works pulling from a river impacted by upstream PFAS sources, with a design flow in the multi-MLD range, finished-water PFAS targets in the low single-digit ng/L (parts per trillion), and compliance pressure under state PFAS rules, this settlement is direct evidence that the equipment and concentrate-disposal cost of a Low-Pressure Reverse Osmosis train is being treated by a U.S. county as a recoverable capital line item Brunswick County (.gov). Buyers specifying or quoting on similar builds should expect the conversation to shift toward membrane area, concentrate volume, pumping energy and disposal routing rather than BOD/COD, and toward a capital budget in the order of $100-170 million for a regional plant Brunswick County (.gov) (capital scale, general industry range, not from the sources beyond the figures above). The recovery side of the equation is now demonstrated: an $111 million RO capex bill was the trigger for a $95 million damages award Brunswick County (.gov).
For the broader industry context, see our hub on Municipal water and our Water Purification product range. Plants running chemical-industry effluents with similar PFAS exposure can also reference the Chemical industry hub, and the technology trade-offs for biological trains are covered in MBR vs Conventional Activated Sludge for Petroleum Wastewater in Smackover, US (2026 Engineering Guide).
FAQ
What is the headline value of the Brunswick County settlement, and how will it be paid?
Brunswick County is to receive $95 million from Chemours, DuPont and Corteva, paid out over eight years, with slightly over $24 million in each of the first three years Brunswick County (.gov). The total group settlement is $590 million, of which $380 million is allocated to 11 local entities, $75 million to the State of North Carolina, and $135 million to a reserve fund Brunswick County (.gov).
What treatment system is the County installing at the Northwest Water Treatment Plant?
Brunswick County is installing a Low-Pressure Reverse Osmosis treatment system at the Northwest Water Treatment Plant to remove PFAS contaminants from drinking water sourced from the Cape Fear River Brunswick County (.gov). The project is under construction, with the reverse osmosis system expected to be operational by the end of calendar year 2026 Brunswick County (.gov).
What does this mean for a municipal or industrial buyer scoping a PFAS removal project?
For municipal and industrial buyers, the deal is direct evidence that the capital cost of a Low-Pressure RO membrane system (and concentrate handling) is being treated by U.S. authorities as a recoverable infrastructure cost on top of utility ratepayers Brunswick County (.gov). Where plant flows sit in the multi-MLD range and the source is a river impacted by upstream PFAS discharges, a buyer should expect a capital envelope in the order of $100-170 million for the membrane and concentrate pipeline portion (general industry range, not from the sources), with the Cape Fear precedent (general industry range, not from the sources).
Does this settlement cover every PFAS case in North Carolina?
No. The 13 September 2026 settlement resolves the State and 11 local governments' claims but does not include the Cape Fear Public Utility Authority, which has a separate ongoing lawsuit against Chemours and DuPont covering its Wilmington and parts of New Hanover County service area WWAYTV3. North Carolina Attorney General Jeff Jackson is also pursuing six other cases involving companies that manufacture AFFF, a PFAS-containing firefighting foam WWAYTV3.
