Category: Environment
PFAS Detected in Newtown Township's Water Supply
By now, Newtown Township, Newtown Borough, and some Middletown residents have received a letter from the Newtown Artesian Water Company (NAWCO) alerting customers that “a recent round of [water source] samples have shown detectable limits” of Perfluorinated Compounds (i.e., PFOS and PFOA Definition) aka PFAS.
Previously, at the August 8, 2018, Newtown Board of Supervisors meeting, Dan Angove, the NAWCO’s Assistant General Manager, reported that the levels of these compounds in Newtown’s drinking water was “nondectable”; i.e., below 5 parts per trillion (ppt).
The letter does not mention the exact amounts of these contaminants in recent samples but refers residents to the NAWCO website (www.newtownwater.com) to find the results of measurements. The following chart is based on that data.
NAWCO complies with the PA Department of Environmental Protection’s “safe” level of 70 ppt for these contaminants – the same as the U.S. EPA’s designated Health Advisory Level. This limit has been widely criticized. As reported recently in the Bucks County Courier Times newspaper (here), State Sen. Maria Collett, D-12, of Lower Gwynedd, introduced a bill that would establish a 10 ppt drinking water limit for PFOS, PFOA, and two other chemicals. New Jersey already set a limit of 14 ppt for PFOA and 13 ppt for PFOS. Some scientists call for a limit as low as 1 ppt.
Despite declaring the water “safe” by PA DEP standards, the NAWCO – out of an abundance of caution – removed from service two sources of water (wells 14 and 18) “pending further tests.”
One has to wonder, however, if the levels of these contaminants in Newtown’s drinking will increase rather than decrease. The U.S. Navy is investigating the migration paths of PFOA and PFOS in the ground water originating from the Naval Air Station and Horsham Air Guard Station in Willow Grove and former Naval Air Warfare Center in Warminster [see story embedded below]. “(The base) is on an elevated plateau, so water will pretty much discharge in every direction,” a project manager with Navy environmental contractor Battelle said.
Read More...Posted on 12 Feb 2019, 01:54 - Category: Environment
Newtown Passes "Year of the Bird" Proclamation
Newtown Township has been a designated bird town community for many years, regularly sponsoring events to promote conservation. In 2019 the Newtown Environmental Action Council (EAC Definition) and the Pennsylvania Audubon’s Society will be jointly developing and implementing a new program promoting the use of native plants to support bird population.
At the November 28, 2018, Board of Supervisors meeting, a plaque was presented to George Skladany, member of the EAC, to commemorate 2018 as the hundredth anniversary of the signing of the Federal Migratory Bird Treaty Act, protecting migratory birds for many decades.
The Township also passed the “Year of the Bird” Proclamation, which states:
Whereas, Birds are important for pollination, pest control, rodent control, seed propagation, weed control, nutrient recycling, and beauty; and bird watching is beneficial to mental health; and
Whereas, Each spring and fall hundreds of thousands of migratory songbirds fly through Newtown Township and are sited at Tyler State Park, Clark Nature Center, and Hidden Lake; and are counted by local bird watchers; and
Whereas, Over 160 species of birds are recorded in Newtown Township and many of these migrate through or are residents of the township that they use for food and shelter; and
Whereas, Six species of birds that are listed on the Conservation Network as “Birds of Concern,” in need of conservation actions, are recorded in Newtown Township including American Kestrel, Wood Thrush, Canada Warbler, Willow Flycatcher, Black‐throated Blue Warbler, and American Woodcock; and
Whereas, Birding Activities bring people into Newtown Township and aid the economy, an example of where birds thrive – people prosper; and
Whereas, Climate change is the number one threat to birds; and
Whereas, 2018 is the centennial year of the Migratory Bird Treaty Act which protects birds in our backyards, like the Wood Thrush and Eastern Towhee; and
Whereas, 2018 also marks the beginning of the next 100 years where we will continue to protect birds and the places they need.
SO PROCLAIMED, We, the Newtown Township Board of Supervisors, by virtue of the authority vested therein, do hereby proclaim 2018 the Year of the Bird and urge all citizens to take due note of the observance and to support the spirit of this proclamation for years to come.
Read More...Posted on 27 Dec 2018, 13:08 - Category: Environment
Elcon Toxic Waste Incinerator: Déjà vu All Over Again
According to a recent article in The Intelligencer, “for the fourth time in as many years, Elcon Recycling Services is resubmitting application materials in an attempt to build a controversial waste treatment facility in Falls” about 13 miles from Newtown (read “Elcon Reapplies to DEP for Toxic Waste Facility Located Next to Delaware River”).
“Groups such as Bucks POWA [Protect Our Water & Air] and the Delaware Riverkeeper Network say they’re specifically concerned about toxic materials being released to the air and potential drinking water contamination should an accident or flood release chemicals into the nearby Delaware River.”
The site, notes the Delaware Riverkeeper Network, has several wetlands that are hydrologically connected to Biles Creek, a tributary of the Delaware. “Railcars will pass within the 50-foot regulated buffer. It is, while outside the 100-year floodplain, is clearly within the 500-year floodplain. That sounds like its safe, but it is not. The Delaware River Basin Commission, the City of Philadelphia and other entities focusing on making their communities more resilient due to climate change and sea-level rise are now recommending that critical facilities and infrastructure should not be built within the 500-year floodplain. The DRBC and City state that ‘critical facilities, such as schools, police departments and fire departments’ should not be constructed within the 500-year floodplain.”
On May, 11, 2016, the Newtown Board of Supervisors adopted Resolution 2016-R-10, opposing the Elcon Toxic Waste incinerator. The Resolution, which can be found at the end of this post, makes several claims.
For example, “the incinerator treatment process will produce over 39 tons of air emissions containing, among other pollutants, nitrous oxide (NOS), ammonia (NH3), hydrochloric acid (HCL), volatile organic compounds (VOC), sulfur oxide (SOX) and total particulate matter” and “studies show that after treatments, the waste will still contain unacceptable levels of Mercury, Cadmium, and Lead.”
No citations of the “studies” mentioned in the Resolution were included in the wording. Perhaps this resolution should be amended to include the evidence for such claims and updated with new information to make it stronger. This, IMHO, would help get the issue before the public again and reaffirm Newtown’s opposition to this incinerator.
UPDATE (10/11/2018):
************RESOLUTION 2016-R-10***************
A Resolution of the Board of Supervisors of Newtown Township in opposition to the Elcon Toxic Waste Incinerator Plant at the Keystone Industrial Park in Falls Township, Bucks County, Pennsylvania
WHEREAS; Eleon Recycling Services, an Israel based company, is applying to build a hazardous waste incinerator plant in the Keystone Industrial Port Complex in Falls Township, PA, 800 yards from the Delaware River, which is 13.5 miles from Newtown, PA; and
WHEREAS; air pollutants can travel 100 miles. The air quality is adversely affected within a 30 mile radius and can affect people with allergies, asthma, auto-immune disorders, elderly with COPD, and heart conditions; and
WHEREAS; The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection has stated that this will be a commercial hazardous waste treatment facility that will treat liquid waste from the chemical and pharmaceutical industries; and
WHEREAS; the plant will process 210,000 tons of raw wastewater per year that will include extremely high levels of Mercury, Cadmium, and Lead; and
WHEREAS; studies show that after treatments, the waste will still contain unacceptable levels of Mercury, Cadmium, and Lead; and
WHEREAS; the incinerator treatment process will produce over 39 tons of air emissions containing, among other pollutants, nitrous oxide (NOS), ammonia (NH3), hydrochloric acid (HCL), volatile organic compounds (VOC), sulfur oxide (SOX) and total particulate matter; and
WHEREAS; Elcon recycling only has plants operating in Israel and has been denied in other countries due to environmental issues created by such treatment plants; and
WHEREAS; Elcon Recycling's Haifa Bay plant in Israel, due to its history of violations of air and groundwater emissions, and its negative impact and pollution to the surrounding environment in Haifa Bay, has been ordered to shut down and relocate to a remote desert location in Israel; and
WHEREAS; Elcon has applied for 596 different kinds of toxins, producing 800 tons of hazardous sludge per year and 5,000 tons of hazardous salts to be trucked in from 10 states: MA, RI, CT, NY, NJ, PA, DE, MD, V A, and NC; and
WHEREAS; given the extremely close proximity to the Delaware River and located in a high residential population where over 10,000 children attend school within 4 miles and due to the high possibility of spillage, pollution would affect the Delaware River to the Chesapeake and beyond; and
WHEREAS; the Philadelphia Water Department wrote in their testimony to the Department of Environmental Protection to decline permit to build in this location. The
PWD stated that if a leak or spill were to occur, it would be a Catastrophic Event that would affect millions of people's water supply and would cause the termination of drinking water for an indeterminate amount of time; and
WHEREAS; the Delaware River is a primary source of drinking water and recreation; and
WHEREAS; while the Newtown Township Board of Supervisors realizes the need for proper disposal and treatment of all toxic waste generated, it needs to be done in a safe location with the least impact to human and wildlife populations and the surrounding local supporting eco systems of such; and
WHEREAS, Newtown Township understands the need for intra municipal cooperation across municipal lines as environmental challenges cross municipal lines; existing zoning and land development rules are not always appropriate to solve all environmental challenges such as toxic water and air crossing municipal borders; and
WHEREAS, Elcon will be in violation of the Pennsylvania Safe Drinking Water Act, the Wild and Scenic River Act, the Federal Clean Water Act, and the Delaware River Basin Commission Act (and Regulations) and the Delaware Estuary Toxic Management Program.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, by the Board of Supervisors of Newtown
Township, Bucks County, PA, that it does hereby oppose the construction of this facility and further urges the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection Agency and the Falls Township Board of Supervisors to consider the danger of the proposed hazardous "thermal oxidizer" facility at the Keystone Port Complex in Falls Township to Newtown residents and Delaware Valley residents.
RESOLVED and ENACTED this 11th Day of May, 2016.
Read More...Posted on 22 May 2018, 01:06 - Category: Environment
Newtown Artesian Water Company's Response to Cyanide Dumping Issue
As you may know, it was recently reported in Newtown Patch (February 14, 2018) and other local news outlets that a Merck chemist allegedly stole potassium cyanide – a highly toxic chemical – and dumped it down a public stormwater inlet in the area of County Line and Street roads, between Easton Road and Second Street Pike. Depending on where the chemical was allegedly dumped, it would've been discharged to either Neshaminy Creek or Pennypack Creek, police said. This happened in December, 2017. Read more about it here.
Many people have commented online that authorities should have warned them sooner. "So if this happened on December 15 why are we just now hearing about this?," said one commentator.
I spoke to Daniel Angove, Assistant General Manager at the Newtown Artesian Water Company, who assured me that this was never a threat to Newtown’s water supply because the company purchases water north (upstream) from where the chemical was dumped
“There never was concern about our water,” said Angove, “and if there was, our customers would be the first ones to know.”
He went on to explain that the company has a reverse 911 system for immediate threats. This would place a call to everyone who has their information in the system. If it were a less serious, localized problem, the company would hang information on doors in the affected neighborhoods as well as use news outlets and social media to notify people. “People would know and they wouldn’t have to wait and learn about it in Newtown Patch” weeks afterward, said Mr. Angove.
I'm not sure what "social media" Angove is talking about. There are no social media links on the company's website and very few posts - none recent - on its Facebook page.
Mr. Angrove told me that he was willing to come before the Newtown Board of Supervisors on an annual basis to give a status on the water system. Recall that upon the request of the Newtown Board of Supervisors, Mr. Angove reported on the quality of water and concerns of carcinogens based on a newspaper article published in the August 4, 2017, issue of the Bucks County Courier Times. Mr. Angove discounted an independent study that found 7 carcinogens - including chromium-6 that was featured in the movie "Erin Brockovich" - in Newtown's water. Read more about that here.
Read More...Posted on 15 Feb 2018, 15:47 - Category: Environment
Be on Look Out for the Spotted Lanternfly!
As reported in the Q1 2018 issue of Townships Today newsletter:
Here we go again. First, it was the emerald ash borer that marched relentlessly from west to east across the commonwealth, leaving a trail of decimated ash trees in its wake. Now, the spotted lanternfly is threatening to spread from southeastern Pennsylvania and could wreak even more havoc than the ash borer.
According to the state Department of Agriculture, the pest poses a signicant threat to the grape, apple, and stone fruit industries, worth nearly $175 million, as well as the state’s $12 billion hardwood industry.
Consequently, the U.S. Department of Agriculture awarded the state nearly $3 million last summer to fund control efforts and public outreach. With 13 southeastern counties under quarantine, state legislators have requested an additional $20 to $40 million in federal funding to combat the insect.
[Note: The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced in February, 2018, it is awarding $17.5 million to try and stop the spread of the invasive spotted lanternfly in southeast Pennsylvania. See the story here: http://sco.lt/6A0Ksj]
Municipalities in the quarantined counties have been asked to alert residents and post signs and information about how to recognize the spotted lanternfly. The goal is to minimize the risk of the insect leaving the quarantined area.
Given that insects don’t recognize quarantines, it is a good idea to get educated about this invasive species and watch for its arrival in your community.
Note: At the October 16, 2017, Budget Presentation before the BOS, Township Manager Kurt Ferguson, estimated that between 800 and 1,000 ash trees in the Clark Nature Center have been killed by the ash borer. These dead trees are a hazard to hikers and therefore the Township closed the hiking trails in the park.
“Quite honestly,” said Ferguson, “we probably need a million dollars to take the trees down.” Meanwhile, the budget allows for only $15,000 per year. Some trees near activities have been taken down for safety reasons. But in the end the trees have to be removed not just taken down if this is going to be a useable beautiful space. Ferguson promised to come back with a long term strategy to deal with the situation.
Posted on 14 Feb 2018, 16:49 - Category: Environment
Connect With Us