On June 15, the Department of Environmental Protection will host a public hearing to provide a brief informational presentation regarding the ongoing Benner Township PFAS investigation in Centre County around the University Park Airport and to hear oral comments on DEP’s proposed prompt interim response action.

The meeting will be held at 6:30 p.m. on June 28, 2022, at the Benner Township Municipal Building,1224 Buffalo Run Road, Bellefonte, PA 16823. 

DEP’s Bureau of Environmental Cleanup and Brownfields is investigating a groundwater plume located in Benner Township, Centre County, in accordance with the Hazardous Sites Cleanup Act (HSCA).

DEP has initiated a prompt interim response which consists of providing bottled drinking water and has proposed installation of whole-house filtration systems on private residential water supplies where perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS) andperfluorooctonic acid (PFOA) exceed the applicable Health Advisory Level (HAL). 

Perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), which includes PFOA and PFOS, are man-made chemicals that persist in the environment and the human body.  PFAS are not found naturally in the environment and are used in the manufacture of a variety of products and materials.

They are also used in firefighting foams and in a number of industrial processes. 

A copy of the Administrative Record, fact sheet about the investigation, map, and additional information about PFAS is available on DEP’s Benner Twp. PFAS Site webpage.

The Administrative Record is also available for review at the Benner Township Municipal Building.

Those who wish to offer testimony at the public hearing should register with Megan Lehman, Community Relations Coordinator for DEP’s Northcentral Region, at 570-327-3659 or by email at meglehman@pa.gov. 

Registration to testify will close at 4:00 p.m. on Monday, June 27, 2022.  Oral comments are limited to three minutes per person and will be recorded.  Registration is not required simply to attend the hearing.

Written comments of any length will be accepted until 4:00 p.m. on Friday, August 26, 2022, and should be sent to Cheryl Sinclair, Environmental Group Manager, by email at csinclair@pa.gov,  or by mail or hand-delivery to the DEP Northcentral Regional Office, 208 W. 3rd Street, Suite 101, Williamsport, PA 17701.

All comments, whether delivered orally during the hearing or submitted in writing, carry equal weight and consideration with DEP. 

Following the close of the public comment period, DEP will prepare a comment and response document responding to all public comments received orally at the hearing and in writing prior to the deadline.

Persons with a disability who wish to attend the hearing and require auxiliary aid, service, or other accommodations to participate in the proceedings should call through the Pennsylvania AT&T Relay Service at 1-800-654-5984 (TDD) to discuss how DEP may accommodate their needs.

A notice of the public hearing appeared in the Pennsylvania Bulletin on Saturday, May 14, 2022, and in the Centre Daily Times newspaper on Wednesday, May 15, 2022.

For more information, visit the DEP’s Benner Twp. PFAS Site webpage.

Related Article:

-- DEP Sets June 28 Hearing On Response To PFOA/PFOS Contamination Around University Park Airport, Centre County

Related Article This Week:

-- EPA: New Drinking Water Health Advisories Set For 4 PFAS Chemicals; $1 Billion In Bipartisan Infrastructure Law Funding Available For Cleanup  [PaEN]

[Posted: June 15, 2022]

6/20/2022