State Rep. Tom Murt this week asked Pennsylvania Gov.
Tom Wolf this week, state Rep. Tom Murt, R-152, of Upper Moreland, asked the governor to visit local areas impacted by ground and drinking water contamination.
The request comes at a time of renewed interest in perfluorinated chemicals, which were used at area military bases and eventually discovered to have contaminated water supplies, primarily in Warminster, Warrington and Horsham.
None of those towns fall in Murt’s district, but the representative’s request demonstrates concerns cross municipal borders.
Lower levels of the chemicals have also been found in nearby towns that also rely on groundwater, including Hatboro and Upper Dublin.
The presence of the chemicals in Hatboro and Upper Dublin has not yet been definitively tied to the military, which publicly took responsibility for the high levels of the chemicals in Warminster, Warrington, and Horsham.
“Every day, as these contaminants find their way into our local environment, Upper Dublin finds itself in their path because the steps taken to prevent contamination in other areas have not been taken there.” Wolf press secretary J.J. Abbott wrote in an email his office only learned of the request today when asked by the media, and that the governor’s office would review it.
A board within the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection is also considering setting its own standard for one PFAS chemical, PFOA.
The move would be unusual, as the state typically relies on the EPA to set standards.
Murt touted the bills again in his letter to Wolf.