Chris Ullery reports for the Bucks Courier Times:
The congressional task force, convened earlier this year by U.S. Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick, R-8, of Middletown, consists of approximately a dozen people representing communities that have had their drinking water contaminated by toxic perfluorinated compounds, also known as PFAS, in recent years
The newly organized PFAS Task Force met for the first time in Newtown Township on Friday to discuss initial steps to advance remediation efforts stalled by bureaucratic gridlock between the Navy and Air National Guard.
The congressional task force, convened earlier this year by U.S. Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick, R-8, of Middletown, consists of approximately a dozen people representing communities that have had their drinking water contaminated by toxic perfluorinated compounds, also known as PFAS, in recent years.
Local officials from Warminster, Horsham, East Rockhill and West Rockhill attended Friday’s meeting, including Tim Hagey, manager of the Warminster Municipal Authority, and East Rockhill Supervisor Chairman Gary Volovnik.
State Rep. Todd Stephens, R-151, of Horsham, and staff from the offices of state Reps. Kathy Watson, R-144, of Warrington, and Bernie O’Neill, R-29, of Warminster, also were in attendance Friday.
The contamination has been linked to the use of firefighting foam at former military installations in and around Horsham, Warminster, and Warrington, where contamination levels are at some of the highest concentrations in the country.
Friday’s meeting was primarily an opportunity for Fitzpatrick and his staff to speak directly to local representatives, but the congressman said multiple times the ultimate goal of the task force is “concrete” legislative solutions.
A common frustration brought up by nearly everyone at Friday’s meeting is the slow remediation process, which Fitzpatrick, Hagey, Stephens, and others referred to as “finger-pointing” between the Navy and Air National Guard.
Remediation efforts for residents whose water supply is above an Environmental Protection Agency health advisory level for PFAS of 70 parts per trillion seems to be a more straightforward process than for those under that level.
Hagey said Friday residents don’t feel safe drinking water with any detectable PFAS contamination, but can’t get federal government assistance because they are under the advisory level. The township has made a commitment to remove PFAS from its water supply to nondetectable levels.
“70 (ppt) is their magic number, and anything below that they will not pay for,” Hagey said.
