HORSHAM, PA — Local lawmakers, activists, and concerned citizens gathered at Hatboro-Horsham High School on Wednesday to discuss the contamination of the area’s drinking water supply with officials from the highest levels of EPA and Department of Defense.
In the portion of the event open to public comment – which lasted more than five hours – local lawmakers and residents expressed frustration that not enough had been done to protect the residents of Horsham, Warminster, Warrington, Willow Grove, and the surrounding area.
Local lawmakers have been lobbying the federal government for years to – in the very least – take a more active financial role in the situation, including the cleanup of the chemicals spilled into local bodies of water and the water supply.
Lawmakers and activists have also rallied for the federal government to pay for residents to have their blood tested for dangerous levels of the chemicals.
Marie Collett, a Democratic state senate candidate in Pennsylvania’s 12th District, said that the state has been made effete should also be empowered to do more.
This is just one example of the danger presented by lack of adequate funding to our DEP."
State officials, in turn, stated they needed federal legislation to ensure continued safety of the water supply.
The ideal situation for some activists and residents would be to federally list PFOS and PFOA as regulated substances, giving officials broader leverage to control even small amounts of the chemicals.
A 2016 federal study found no evidence of a "cancer cluster" in the local area, despite concerns that a growing number of local residents were being taken ill due to the contamination.
Andrew Dixon, a candidate for state representative in the 29th District, called the meeting "an important step towards government transparency on the PFAS issue."

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S.
Senator Maria Cantwell announced today the inclusion of an additional $70 million in funding to the Department of Defense for environmental restoration in areas struggling with water contamination due to their proximity to military installations in the National Defense Authorization Act.
Such areas include Fairchild Air Force Base, Joint Base Lewis McChord and Naval Station Whidbey Island.
"Clean drinking water is a must for every Washingtonian, and for families throughout our country," Cantwell said.
"From Airway Heights to Coupville and Whidbey Island, this funding will ensure we continue to clean up groundwater in communities affected by these chemicals."
PFAS are chemicals found in firefighting foams that had been used at military installations and civilian airports.
The chemicals have been detected in groundwater and drinking water wells near these entities.
While the health effects of these chemicals are still being determined, studies have linked PFAS exposure to developmental damage, certain cancers and immune system dysfunction.
The U.S. House of Representatives passed the National Defense Authorization Act Thursday.
It next moves on to the Senate for a final vote, expected to take place the following week.

Water onboard the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower tested positive for E. Coli and coliform bacteria during routine testing at Norfolk Naval Shipyard in Portsmouth, spokeswoman Terri Davis said Thursday.
Davis said the cause of the contamination is under investigation and the carrier was closed to all but mission essential personnel.
Portable water for fountains, restroom sinks and dining facilities on the carrier, which is at the shipyard for routine maintenance, was shut off.
"Water coolers are being put in place for all personnel on the ship and pier," Davis said.
Water is provided to the carrier along the pier through a riser, Davis said, and the Ike is not currently producing its own water like it would while underway.
Results from additional water samples taken at the pier are expected Friday, Davis said.
Water testing at buildings located near the Ike around the same time were negative for contaminants.
"When they’re in port, they’re on shore services and one of those services is water," Davis said.
The Ike left Naval Station Norfolk in August and entered the shipyard for what the Navy has previously said would be a six-month upgrade to the ship’s mechanical and electrical systems.
Information about the carrier’s delay in the shipyard was not immediately Thursday evening.

Last week, City Manager Michael Joyal announced the city had taken the Ireland Well that draws from the Pudding Hill Aquifer offline after it found an increasing concentration of perfluorinated compounds.
However, it exceeded those levels of 70 parts per trillion earlier this month.
Out of caution while the city’s water consultants study the contamination issues, the city also decided to take a Pudding Hill Aquifer well offline as well, even though that well wasn’t showing any signs of contamination.
While the Pudding Hill Aquifer makes up the largest source of public drinking water, it being offline does not in use does not immediately affect the city’s water needs, said Keith Pratt of Underwood Engineering that consults with the city on its water supply.
Before Dover stopped drawing from the Pudding Hill Aquifer, the city could supply a little over 5 million gallons of drinking water daily.
In addition to the water sources, Dover also has two water tanks it to help manage its supply.
If the supply were to get tight, the city could set up an emergency connection with Somersworth through connecting existing fire hydrants in short order, Pratt said.
Joyal told the council that a similar link was set-up during the Mother Day Flood of 2006 where Dover supplied Somersworth with an emergency connection.
But in the long term, Storer said the Pudding Hill Aquifer is a critical piece to Dover’s drinking water supply.
Hydrogeologist John Brooks of Emery & Garrett Groundwater Investigations, the firm that assists the city with testing the area for pollutants, said that Schnizer has been open about the pollution issues have been working collaboratively with the city on the contamination challenges.

PARCHMENT, Mich. – The City of Parchment is telling people to stop using the city’s water due to high amounts of the chemical PFAS.
Perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), such as perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS), are part of a group of chemicals used for in manufacturing, firefighting and other consumer products.
Bottled water will be provided starting Friday at Parchment High School from 7:00 a.m. until 8:00 p.m The city provided these short-term solutions: The City of Parchment’s water supply system is being drained.
Once it is drained, the City of Kalamazoo will connect residents on the City of Parchment’s water supply to the City of Kalamazoo’s water supply system.
Residents will be notified once this occurs.
The City of Kalamazoo will begin flushing the City of Parchment’s water supply system.
The City of Kalamazoo will continue flushing out the City of Parchment’s water supply system until test results come back that shows the PFAS levels are below the health advisory level.
Governor Rick Snyder is directing the state departments of Environmental Quality, Health and Human Services, and State Police, as well as the Michigan PFAS Action Response Team (MPART), to assist.
“Our next step is to work as a team to address the source of this contamination and restore the municipal water system.
People can also get PFAS information online at the website of Michigan PFAS Action Response Team.

Approximately 20 residents of a small Quebec community have been sickened by what is believed to be contaminated drinking water, with five of them requiring hospitalization.
The municipality of Saint-Bernard, which is located about 50 kilometres south of Quebec City, has been under a boil water advisory since July 17.
The advisory warned the community’s 2,300 residents that they should use boiled or bottled water for everything from preparing food to brushing their teeth.
It did not say why.
One day later, a new statement explained that health authorities were dealing with multiple cases of campylobacter, a bacteria most often found in raw chicken and raw milk, and that there was a possible connection to the community’s water supply.
New diagnoses of campylobacter infection slowed after the boil water advisory went into effect, Saint-Bernard Mayor Andre Gagnon told CTV Montreal on Thursday, suggesting a link between the municipal water system and the illness.
The province’s environment and agriculture ministries are working with the municipality to investigate, but Gagnon said tests of the town’s water supply had yet to find any contamination or any other explanation for the illnesses.
Common symptoms of campylobacter include diarrhea, abdominal pain and vomiting lasting for two to five days.
In rare cases, it can lead to the development of more serious infections.

Senator Kirsten Gillibrand is pushing Congress to pass the Contaminant and Lead Electronic Accounting and Reporting Requirements (CLEARR) for Drinking Water Act, which she says would help small and disadvantaged communities across New York state clean up water contamination in their local water systems.
The CLEARR Drinking Water Act would increase funding for disadvantaged communities to comply with Safe Drinking Water Act requirements, help communities identify at-risk drinking water systems, and modernize the testing of public water systems.
“The CLEARR Drinking Water Act would give communities the resources they need to clean up water pollution.
New Yorkers have a right to know what is in their drinking water and whether it’s safe to drink, and I urge my colleagues to pass this important legislation now.” The CLEARR Drinking Water Act would increase the amount of funding provided by the Assistance for Small and Disadvantaged Communities program from $60 million per year through 2021 to $230 million for 2019 and $300 million each year for 2020 through 2023.
The Assistance for Small and Disadvantaged Communities program helps small and disadvantaged communities comply with Safe Drinking Water Act requirements.
The legislation would also provide funding for in-home water quality tests.
In addition, the CLEARR Drinking Water Act would help modernize the testing of public water systems by requiring the EPA to establish new electronic reporting of water system compliance data, helping to provide communities with a real-time look at water quality.
It would also create new transparency requirements from the EPA about water pollution in order to help New York communities identify and report at-risk drinking water systems.
Specifically, the CLEARR Drinking Water Act would require the EPA to do the following: ¯ Provide advice and technical assistance to state and public water systems to help bring those systems into compliance with drinking water regulations; ¯ Perform research on drinking water contaminants, serious public health crises, and the possible health effects that contaminants have on the health of residents.
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DOVER — Nearly 1,700 residents near Lewes and Milton are being advised to boil tap water before drinking it after samples collected last week tested positive for bacteria, including E. coli.
Broadkiln shares a connection with PrimeHook Water Company, meaning individuals who receive water from either provider should take steps to avoid becoming sick.
Samples collected Wednesday from Broadkiln Beach Water Company tested positive for E. coli when results came in Friday.
According to DHSS, a prior routine test indicated the presence of total coliform bacteria, mandating a second analysis.
By law, the operator is required to inform all customers of the advisory.
The well and the distribution system have been disinfected and flushed, and a chlorine treatment system has been put in place.
A sample Friday tested negative for E. coli, but two consecutive negative results are required before the boil notice can be lifted.
DHSS will announce when the water is safe to drink.
Organisms in water can cause diarrhea, cramps, nausea or headaches.
Anyone experiencing persistent symptoms should contact a health care provider.

A park volunteer host accidentally directed the driver of a tanker with 1,000 gallons of the fire camp’s gray water to the park’s 10,000-gallon potable water tank for dumping on the evening of July 18, according to the Jackson County Parks Department.
The mistake went unnoticed until Monday morning, when a park ranger chatting with the tanker driver learned of where he had dumped the water, Lambert said.
Parks officials immediately closed access to the water and notified state and county health officials, Lambert said.
Tests of the water Monday showed the presence of E. coli and coliform bacteria, said Chad Peterson, the environmental health director for the Jackson County Health and Human Services Department.
The park’s water system was flushed and work was underway Tuesday to clean and disinfect the system, and crews hoped to be finished by Thursday, Lambert said.
Infants, seniors, women who are pregnant and those with compromised immune systems could face increased risks.
Peterson said Tuesday that health officials have not discovered anyone sickened by exposure to the water.
Camper Tiphanie Hulse said she drank the water every day during the contamination period and didn’t notice a change in the water or get sick.
“Nothing.” Reach Mail Tribune reporter Mark Freeman at 541-776-4470 or mfreeman@rosebudmedia.com.
Follow him on Twitter at www.twitter.com/MTwriterFreeman.

JACKSONVILLE, Ore. – Visitors to a popular local park are being warned they may have been exposed to contaminated drinking water.
According to Jackson County Parks, the potable water tank at Cantrall Buckley Park was contaminated with water from the kitchen and shower units of a nearby camp on the evening of July 18.
Officials learned about the contamination event on July 23.
Park users may have been exposed to disease-causing organisms between the above dates.
Anyone who drank water at the park between the 18 and 23 may experience the following symptoms: Nausea, vomiting, cramps, diarrhea, jaundice, and associated headaches and fatigue.
Anyone exhibiting symptoms, particularly those who are pregnant or have compromised immune systems, should contact a medical professional immediately.
The park’s water system is currently being flushed and sanitized until it meets state drinking water standards.
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