CFPUA to accept grant to explore merger with Wrightsville Beach water and sewer services

WILMINGTON, N.C. (WECT) - The Cape Fear Public Utility Authority will accept $400,000 in American Rescue Plan Act funding from the NC Department of Environmental Quality to explore merging with Wrightsville Beach’s water and sewer services. The CFPUA Authority Board plans to accept the funding at its meeting on Wednesday, Feb. 8.

“The Authority was previously approved for a grant from the NCDEQ Division of Water Infrastructure to study the feasibility and merits of a consolidation with the Town of Wrightsville Beach. The study started in October 2022 and is expected to be completed by May 2023,” states the agenda item.

Half of the funding would go towards a water merger study and the other half towards a sewer merger study. This would consolidate utilities for the Town of Wrightsville Beach and CFPUA under the same banner.

The finance committee unanimously approved and recommend the acceptance of the grants at its meeting on Feb. 1, sending the item to the authority board. The grant has already been approved, and a CFPUA spokesperson described the agenda item as “an administrative step to finalize acceptance of the grant.”

You can find the full meeting agenda for the finance committee and for the CFPUA Authority Board meeting on the CFPUA website.

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