House Passes Stephens' Resolution Demanding More Federal Action To Address Water And Health Concerns In Horsham, Warrington And Warminster - Local Lawmakers Say Residents Deserve Answers

Harrisburg, PA – A resolution sponsored by Rep. Todd Stephens (R-Montgomery) and co-sponsored by Reps. Kathy Watson (R-Bucks) and Bernie O’Neill (R-Bucks) has passed the House of Representatives urging the federal government to take all necessary action to address ongoing water and health concerns in Horsham, Warminster and Warrington townships.

The military used foam containing perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) and perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), unregulated contaminants, in firefighting training at two former bases, Willow Grove Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base in Horsham and the Naval Air Warfare Center in Warminster.

The chemicals have appeared at elevated levels in public and private water wells, and are resistant to environmental degradation and accumulate in the human body.

“I am especially concerned that the EPA knowingly allowed water it deemed unsafe for infants to flow into our homes for more than a year,” Stephens said.

In a letter to Regional EPA Administrator Shawn Garvin, Stephens demanded the EPA support efforts to provide carbon filters for all of Horsham’s remaining wells, blood tests for Horsham residents who were exposed to contaminants in their drinking water, and a health assessment for residents, particularly children.

“In order to improve and protect our quality of life, our communities must be assured of a safe and reliable water supply,” O’Neill said. “I’ve received a number of calls from constituents and they want to know why this happened and what will be done to prevent it from happening in the future. We’ve already been working closely with the Warminster Water Authority and the Navy to get answers, and I am hopeful the EPA and the Department of Defense can bring even more clarity to this situation.”

“Residents have many questions regarding these chemicals, how widely they were used at these federal facilities and how their health may be adversely affected,” Watson said. “These residents, many who have lived in the area for a long time and raised their families here, deserve to know what’s going on and what’s going to be done to address their concerns.”

House Resolution 916 directs the EPA and the Department of Defense to discover the extent of the contamination, provide complete remediation, fully evaluate the health consequences, and provide ongoing bio-monitoring to residents and military personnel who have been exposed to the water contamination from compounds previously used at the former Willow Grove Naval Air Station – Joint Reserve Base.