East Rockhill Township News.
The concerns were raised after multiple tests of well #5 showed PFAS levels in excess of the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) legal limit of 18 parts per trillion.
The East Rockhill Board of Supervisors stood by the quality of Perkasie Regional Authority (PRA) water at this week’s board meeting following months of concerns about PFAS contamination.
“I have not found any evidence of a continuous violation,” said township solicitor Will Oetinger.
The concerns were raised after multiple tests of well #5 showed PFAS levels in excess of the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) legal limit of 18 parts per trillion. The board has stressed that the contaminated water sources are mixed with clean sources before being distributed to PRA customers and that the PRA’s annual running average is in compliance with state standards.
But the debate has persisted over acceptable levels of PFAS contamination, applicable water quality standards and the veracity of PRA’s test results.
PFAS contamination timeline
PFAS are carcinogenic chemicals commonly used in firefighting foam and consumer product coatings. Contamination issues have engulfed the township since 2016 when numerous wells tested positive for elevated levels of PFAS. The township has blamed the contamination on firefighting foam used to extinguish a local fire decades ago.
Following the discovery of PFAS contamination, dozens of affected properties were connected to PRA’s public water system.
More recently, the board approved a new PRA water filtration and treatment facility at 730 Three Mile Run Road following a decision by the Environmental Protection Agency to cap PFAS levels at four parts per trillion. The rule gives public water systems five years to bring their PFAS levels into compliance. At the time, land surveyor Brian Binney told the board that the project was purely proactive. The facility’s expected completion date is fall 2025. PRA is additionally developing a new well near Bucks County Community College.
At the board’s August meeting, resident Jennifer Wright raised concerns about the current quality of PRA water, pointing to a July test of well #5 showing a PFAS level of 63 parts per trillion. The township responded by taking water samples at the East Rockhill Township building and a Three Mile Run Road rental property, both of which passed.
But Wright remained unmoved, noting the PRA’s annual running average of 18 parts per trillion, the maximum DEP contaminant level. She also revealed that the DEP has begun supplying free water to several residences whose wells tested above the EPA limit of 4 parts per trillion.
Solicitor report
At Tuesday’s meeting, solicitor Will Oetinger gave a detailed report in defense of PRA. He explained that the maximum contaminant levels are taken at entry points, not individual wells, and reiterated that the PRA dilutes contaminated water sources with clean water sources.
While conceding that a July test of well #4 exceeded the DEP limit, Oetinger stated that the well’s annual running average is in compliance with state standards. He also clarified that the private wells are on Hazardous Sites Cleanup Act (HSCA) cleanup sites, which carry a lower water quality standard than public water systems.
Oetinger concluded by citing the PFAS treatment facility as the “ultimate solution” to the PFAS problem. He added that the PRA has applied for a PENNVEST grant to help fund the facility and encouraged community members to voice their support for the grant application.
“The most critical step is to pursue and encourage the elected officials in this district to push to get PRA its PENNVEST grant,” said Oetinger, while noting that the project is not dependent on the grant.
Board members echoed Oetinger’s remarks, with Supervisor Jim Nietupski saying that he personally addressed the issue with PRA, who downplayed the residents’ concerns.
“An example was you take an Olympic-sized swimming pool filled with sand and you had 18 grains of sand,” said Nietupski. “It’s a very small amount, that’s what they all tried to impress on me.”
But despite the board’s efforts, some residents remained skeptical.
Wright questioned well #4’s January PFAS reading of 5.63, given that the well draws water from sources with higher contaminant levels, including well #5. She further questioned why well #5 cannot be deactivated and disputed the effectiveness of blending the water sources to dilute the contamination.
“Do you want to go to The Perk and get 60% of your beer from a good keg and 40% of something with E. coli in it? Would you wanna drink that?” asked Wright.
Wright concluded by referencing the EPA’s maximum contaminant level goal of 0 for PFOA and PFOS chemicals, stating that there is “no level of exposure to these two PFAS chemicals without risk of health impacts.”
“0 is what’s acceptable. Those are the facts,” said Wright. “I can’t believe there’s not more outrage. People are more outraged about books and bathrooms than the water they’re drinking.”
In response, Oetinger declared that there is “no evidence” of fraudulent test results, while Nietupski stated that PRA needs well #5 to meet its required output.
Board chairman Dave Nyman wrapped up the discussion by pointing to the treatment facility and the new well as the appropriate solutions. He stressed that the board is working with the PRA to expedite both projects.
“We are doing what we can to help them,” said Nyman. “You sit there and attack us like we’re not doing anything. We’re doing everything we can do.”
2025 budget
The board adopted the 2025 budget with no tax increases. The balanced budget projects a revenue and expenditures of $8.2 million and includes a sewage rate increase of $10 per month.
The largest shares of the general fund budget are public safety at 40% and public works projects at 15%. Some of the 2025 general fund anticipated expenses include an ultra-thin bonded wearing course on Deer Run Road, Buck Drive, Pine Court and a section of Campus Drive in the Pines I development, widening of a section of Hill Road, oil and chip application on Clymer Road from Mountain View to Sternermill Road and on West Rock Road, mill and overlay on Harriet Drive, Meadlow Lane and Willow Court and an overlay of the bike trail.
Renew Bible Church emergency access road
Renew Bible Church gave a presentation on a proposed 500-foot emergency access driveway to Schwenkmill Road. The proposal comes in response to the church’s growing membership as well as its designation as a reunification site for Upper Bucks Vocational Technical School students and parents in the event of a school evacuation.
The church previously sought an alternative emergency access road on the opposite side of the property adjacent to the Pennridge School District bus lot but was turned down by the district solicitor, leaving the Schwenkmill route as the only option.
Following the presentation, the board raised concerns about increased traffic on Schwenkmill Road and advised the church to request additional information from the school district about its decision.
“You’re dumping a large amount of traffic onto a country road,” said Nyman. “I’d like to have further conversation with the school district because I think they’re being short-sighted.”
The board also rejected the advertisement of an ordinance to raise the supervisors’ compensation cap from $2,500 to $4,190 due to the additional expense to taxpayers. The ordinance follows a new state law allowing local governments to raise the maximum compensation for second-class township supervisors by approximately 67%, effective next term of office.
The next East Rockhill Board of Supervisors meeting is on December 17 at 7 p.m. For more information, visit eastrockhilltownship.org
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