DEP’s Citizens Advisory Council is scheduled to hear an update on the state’s response to the PFAS contamination issue in the year since the formation of the Governor’s PFAS Action Team at its September 17 meeting.

Troy Conrad, Director of DEP’s Bureau of Environmental Cleanup & Brownfields; Lisa Daniels, Director of DEP’s Bureau of Safe Drinking Water; Steve Taglang, Acting Director of DEP’s Bureau of Clean Water; Josh Lookenbill, Manager of the Monitoring Section of DEP’s Bureau of Clean Water; and Dr. Anil Nair, Director of the Division of Environmental Health Epidemiology at the Department of Health will be providing the update.

Gov. Wolf signed an executive order on September 19 of 2018 forming the interagency PFAS Action Team which was charged with developing a comprehensive response to the PFAS contamination problem.

Since then, the state has taken a series of steps to help define the threat faced from PFAS contamination and deal with contaminated water.  They include--

-- PFAS Action Team held 2 public meetings to gather public input on steps needed to deal with the issue and established an open comment process for the public to submit ideas and suggestions [November & April];

-- DEP announced plans to develop a Maximum Contaminant Level for PFAS in drinking water and retaining toxicological services to support that effort [February];

-- Gov. Wolf proposed the Restore PA Infrastructure initiative to, in part, funding drinking water contamination cleanup from PFAS and other contaminants [February]

-- Dept. of Health requested $1 million in funding for PFAS monitoring and is prioritizing the hiring of a state toxicologist to support its efforts [March];

-- DEP announced PFAS sampling plan to identify possible water contamination across the state [April];

-- CFA announced $8 million in funding to remove PFAS contamination from 17 drinking water in Bucks County [April];

-- DEP provided an update on the August 2017 petition to the Environmental Quality Board asking that a Maximum Contaminant Level be set for PFAS in the Delaware River [June]; and

-- An additional $3.8 million in funding to remove PFAS contamination from drinking water supplies in Bucks and Montgomery counties [August].

In addition to this bullet-list of items, DEP provided this short update on the PFAS issue to the CAC in its September written report--

“DEP is coordinating with PennDOT, the State Fire Commissioner, the Turnpike Commission, and the Department of Veterans and Military Affairs to gather information about the use and storage of fluorinated firefighting foams. A workgroup has been created to discuss proper disposal of these foams, review federal and state requirements/authorities, and assess possible alternatives.

“The Bureau of Environmental Cleanup and Brownfields updated its cleanup standard for PFOA and PFOS. These regulatory amendments are expected to be presented to the Environmental Quality Board this fall.

“The Bureau of Safe Drinking Water’s Sampling Plan is now in effect and will occur through quarter one 2020. The occurrence data gathered from this effort will be a key asset for developing regulatory standards for PFOA and PFOS in drinking water.

PFAS samples are continuing to be collected at public water systems across the state. The first quarter sample results are expected to be posted to the PFAS webpage in early October.

“Note that any sample result that exceeds EPA’s HAL of 70 ppt for PFOS/PFOA will be addressed immediately with a request for various corrective actions, including the collection of confirmation samples within two weeks and the issuance of Tier 2 public notice if results continue to exceed the HAL.

“A contract for toxicology services is also in the process of being executed. Additional updates will be provided at the September 17th CAC meeting.”

Click Here to read the full DEP written report to the CAC.

For more information on the PFAS issue in Pennsylvania, visit DEP’s PFAS webpage.

The meeting will be held in Room 105 Rachel Carson Building starting at 10:00.  There is a conference call-in option: Toll Free #: 267-332-8737, Conference ID#: 485895058.

For more information, visit the DEP Citizens Advisory Council webpage.  Questions should be directed to Keith Salador, Executive Director, by calling 717-787-8171 or send email to: ksalador@pa.gov.

(Map: 17 known PFAS contamination sites in Pennsylvania, Environmental Working Group.)

NewsClips:

Bagenstose: New PFAS Investigation: 5 Things You Need To Know

Bagenstose: Why Isn’t The Military Cleaning Up PFAS Firefighting Chemicals?

PFAS Chemicals Showing Up In Montgomery County Water Beyond Military Bases

DEP Wants More Testing Of Water Treatment To Remove PFAS Chemicals In Bucks, Montgomery Counties

Click Here for Last Week’s Environment & Energy NewsClips

Related Articles:

PA Township News: Public & Private Water Supplies Face Threats From Emerging Contaminants

DEP Enters Agreement With Pittsburgh Water & Sewer Authority For Critical Upgrades To Highland 2 Reservoir

[Posted: September 6, 2019]

9/9/2019