The Department of Environmental Protection Wednesday announced the award of a $350,000 grant to Leacock Township, Lancaster County, to assist with the construction of a new public water system.

DEP proposed to build a new public water system due to extensive groundwater contamination under a large portion of the Village of Intercourse, located within Leacock Township, and because property owners in the area rely on private wells. Once the system is constructed, Leacock Township will assume ownership.

“DEP and Leacock Township Supervisors worked hand-in-hand to determine what type of drinking water system would best remedy the groundwater issues in the area,” DEP Southcentral Regional Director Lynn Langer said. “All Pennsylvanians have the right to clean drinking water, and this grant will help Leacock Township to protect the public and visitors from the contamination.”

Specifically, the grant will reimburse the township for any costs associated with purchasing land for wellhead protection and water tank storage, as well as engineering and legal review for the water line alignment under properties.

DEP and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency conducted extensive rounds of residential well water sampling in the township from 2004 to 2008. The samples revealed the groundwater was contaminated with trichloroethylene, a chemical commonly used as a solvent to degrease metal. DEP did not determine a responsible party for the contamination but responded by providing bottled water or treatment systems to residents with contaminated wells.

The construction of the new public water system, scheduled to begin in January 2015, will eliminate the need to provide these services, although homeowners may choose to keep their water treatment system.

Aside from the grant, DEP will spend approximately $18 million from the Hazardous Sites Cleanup Fund to construct the system. Leacock Township will spend approximately $3 million to extend the water system beyond the contamination plume to the entire Village of Intercourse.

The Hazardous Sites Cleanup Act, Act 108 of 1988, authorizes DEP to provide grants from the Hazardous Sites Cleanup Fund for purposes such as the replacement of public and private water supplies to protect public health from contamination.

For more information, call 717-705-4832 or visit DEP’s Southcentral Regional Office Community Information webpage.

3/31/2014