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."