People in southern Granville County are dealing with discolored and smelly water.
After previously shutting down the idea, the city of Creedmoor will discuss water filters during Tuesday’s commission meeting.
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Mayor Pro Tem Archer Wilkins wants his colleagues to send a letter to the City’s water company, asking its leaders to approve the distribution of water filters to Creedmoor residents.
The city gets its water from the South Granville Water & Sewer Authority (SGWASA).
“[The water quality] has been an ongoing problem,” said Angie Powell, who works in Creedmoor.
A restaurant owner also told WRAL News he uses multiple filters to clean the water before using it to make products.
Commissioners told WRAL they are looking at TTHM filters as a possibility. Those types of filters can help filter out bad taste, smell and color. They may also reduce PFAs in the water, depending on the brand or type.
In July, WRAL News obtained city records that showed elevated levels of iron and manganese in the water, which can impact the smell and taste of the water. However, according to the EPA, these contaminants are not health-threatening.
Commissioner Edward Gleason said the metals were discovered when the city tested the water from March through June 2025.
WRAL News also obtained those records, which acknowledge side effects like staining from iron and headaches, insomnia and even nervous-system disorders from manganese.
In 2022, state tests found PFAs, or forever chemicals, in the water. The toxic, cancer-causing chemicals have plagued water systems across North Carolina and the entire country.
SGWASA is in the process of replacing filter media at the treatment plant. It is also designing a system to filter out harmful chemicals. According to results from a pilot study, the company has identified ways to reduce PFAs levels to acceptable levels.
The Environmental Protection Agency gave SGWASA a 2029 deadline to mitigate forever chemicals in the water.
SGWASA began PFAS-related planning in 2019 and is advancing engineering and design for treatment upgrades, including PFAS mitigation, as standards evolve. Implementation is a multi-year process aligned with the EPA’s current compliance timeline, according to spokesperson Krystle Lee.
The water company services about 6,500 households in Butner, Stem and Creedmoor.
Over the summer, more than 200 people signed a petition asking city leaders to distribute water filters.
However, in a letter, the Creedmoor city attorney said the city has “limited legal authority to directly provide charcoal filters to or to make improvements to homes.”
Without SGWASA on board, the city could provide filters to people with low or moderate incomes.
WRAL News asked Lee if the water company is open to the idea of distributing water filters.
The company said it does not have plans to provide water filters.
“The research and information shared continues to support that the responsible path forward is a permanent, system-level solution rather than interim measures that may create concerns for customers, adding to the public responsibility of maintaining private infrastructure lines and home systems,” Lee said.
“If SGWASA refuses to purchase water filters for Creedmoor residents by arguing that federal mandates do not take effect until 2029, that position places regulatory timing above public health,” Wilkins told WRAL News over the phone. “I believe that SGWASA is acting in good faith and doing what its current authority allows, including their current PFAS study, but while these long-term solutions are being developed, at present our residents are seeking reassurance and practical mitigation in the present.”
Darryl Moss said the water concerns motivated him to run for commissioner. He previously served as the mayor and a commissioner.
“What was missing, in my opinion, was commitment from leadership to at least try,” he told WRAL News.
Now, he once again has a designated seat at city hall.
“If it does not work, then we’re going to bring it back to Creedmoor, and we’re going to explore every possible option for the city to do it on its own to get those filters to folks who want them,” Moss said.