Emerging Contaminants / PFAS Funding Program

The Division of Water Infrastructure within the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality is offering Emerging Contaminants / PFAS Funding to support projects that address Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances in water and wastewater systems. The program is available through the Division’s Emerging Contaminants funding and uses federal funding to help public water systems address PFAS in advance of federal drinking water regulation activity. The funding opportunity is administered through the State Water Infrastructure Authority award process, with rolling application deadlines tied to scheduled Authority meetings. Eligible project scope includes planning projects and construction projects that address PFAS in drinking water and wastewater systems. Planning projects may include assessing options and designing a solution to address PFAS contamination. Construction projects may include adding treatment to drinking water systems, wastewater systems, or landfill leachate, and developing alternative drinking water sources. Treatment of landfill leachate with PFAS is also identified as eligible. The Cape Fear Public Utility Authority webinar materials illustrate relevant PFAS treatment approaches, including granular activated carbon, ion exchange, and reverse osmosis, and describe how pilot testing can evaluate removal rates, environmental impacts, cost impacts, and full-scale design criteria. Eligible applicants include local government units and non-profit water or wastewater corporations that provide water or wastewater service. Local government units include counties, cities, towns, sanitary districts, water and sewer authorities, and similar public entities. Investor-owned drinking water utilities regulated by the Utilities Commission are eligible for Drinking Water State Revolving Fund Emerging Contaminants funding. Publicly owned landfills are eligible for Clean Water State Revolving Fund Emerging Contaminants funding. All BIL DWSRF-EC and BIL CWSRF-EC funds are described as 100 percent principal forgiveness. Other DWSRF and CWSRF funding may be offered as low-interest loans, with or without principal forgiveness. No matching requirement is stated in the provided source material. No award ceiling, award floor, total program funding amount, or number of awards is provided in the supplied materials. Applications are submitted using the Rolling Application, which is the same application used for EC, LSLR, and SA-HMW SRF Helene projects. Emerging Contaminants construction project applications are submitted during the regular Division funding rounds in spring and fall, while the provided 2026 rolling deadlines apply to Emerging Contaminants study projects and LSLR projects. Applications will be scored based on the established Priority Rating System. No separate letter of intent, concept paper, pre-proposal, or notice of intent requirement is stated in the supplied materials. For 2026 rolling applications, the stated due dates and award meeting dates are January 9, 2026 for a February 18, 2026 award meeting; March 2, 2026 for an April 15-16, 2026 award meeting; June 1, 2026 for a July 15, 2026 award meeting; August 3, 2026 for a September 16, 2026 award meeting; and November 2, 2026 for a December 9, 2026 award meeting. One table also lists August 1, 2026, but the more specific due-date list states August 3, 2026, so August 3, 2026 is used as the application deadline. No official program contact, program email, program phone number, direct PDF URL, performance period, or application opening date is provided in the supplied source material.

Align the project clearly with PFAS response in drinking water wastewater or landfill leachate; for planning projects emphasize assessment of options and design of a solution; for construction projects emphasize eligible treatment or alternative source activities; address the Priority Rating System because applications are scored using that system.