The quality of our drinking water is the #1 concern of respondents to my Newtown Issues Survey (see here). 85% say the quality of drinking water is VERY IMPORTANT to them. Another 13% say it is SOMEWHAT IMPORTANT.
One respondent commented: "The water report I saw is not ok. I bought my house 2 years ago from a young woman who was dying from a rare cancer. While it may not be related, it makes me uneasy. The neighbors tell me there has been a lot of cancer here."
Water reports from the Artesian Water Company, which gets its water from a variety of sources - not all of which are "artesian" - are not specific enough to understand where all the water comes from.
New Drinking Water Database Causes Concern
Are there unsafe chemicals in our water supply that you should know about? Check out the EWG (Environmental Working Group) database mentioned in this article published in the August 4, 2017, issue of the Bucks County Courier Times.
The Newtown Artesian water supply includes 7 contaminants above health guidelines set by EWG, a non-profit group. Includes chemicals detected in 2015 for which annual utility averages exceeded an EWG-selected health guideline established by a federal or state public health authority; chemicals detected under the EPA's Unregulated Contaminant Monitoring Rule (UCMR 3) program in 2013 to 2015, for which annual utility averages exceeded a health guideline established by a federal or state public health authority; radiological contaminants detected between 2010 and 2015.
- Bromodichloromethane - can cause cancer
- Chlorate - can cause harm to the thyroid
- Chloroform - can cause cancer
- Chromium (hexavalent) - can cause cancer
- Dibromochloromethane - can cause cancer
- Radiological contaminants - can cause cancer
- Total trihalomethanes - can cause cancer
Check out the EWG database for Newtown Artesian Water here and let me know your thoughts.
- Newtown Artesian Water Company Defends Quality of Its Water (Oct 27, 2017). Upon the request of the Newtown Board of Supervisors, Mr. Dan Angove, Assistant General Manager of Newtown Artesian Water Company, 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.
Delaware River Basin Commission Proposes to Allow Fracking Wastewater to be Disposed in River Basin!
As reported in the September 14, 2017, issue of the Bucks County Courier Times, he Delaware River Basin Commission (DRBC) passed a resolution that would ban fracking but allow fracking wastewater to be stored or discharged in the Delaware River basin, which totally negates the ban according to environmentalists. Former PA Department of Environmental Protection secretary John Quigley said "It would be inconsistent at best to allow a ban and consider wastewater. It just doesn't make sense."
Bucks County Courier Times article.
Despite the pleas of several residents to hold off, the Newtown Planning Commission approved a recommendation in December, 2016, to advertise a proposed ordinance aimed at limiting the opportunity for fracking in the township if a current moratorium is lifted. See video of a Delaware Riverkeeper Network meeting (January 2017) on the fracking ordinance proposed by the Newtown, Wrightstown and Upper Makefield Jointure.
