PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Suburban lawmakers are seeking federal help to get the Air National Guard in Montgomery County to withdraw its appeal of the limit on PFAS contamination.
PFAS are a family of chemicals that were used in firefighting foam at the airbase. They have been linked to health concerns like liver damage and thyroid disease, though specific long-term effects are still being studied.
The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection set the PFAS limit in stormwater runoff at the former Willow Grove Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base in Horsham at 70 parts per trillion.
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Montgomery County state Rep. Todd Stephens said federal and state health officials are “trying to determine whether that number is adequate to protect public health. So 70 [parts per trillion] to me is certainly a bare-bones minimum that the Air National Guard ought to be able to comply with.”
The Air National Guard appealed the Pennsylvania DEP’s permit, which was issued in March.
Stephens said Pennsylvania, as well as area municipalities and water authorities, have spent tens of millions of dollars to reach what’s called a zero-detect in drinking water.
“And here the Air National Guard is actually balking at complying with what is a very modest standard,” he said.
In comparison, Stephens said the Navy is on the property right next door and is complying with the standard, along with several businesses in the area.
“Certainly, the Air National Guard is capable of meeting that standard,” he added.
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In a letter to President Joe Biden, Stephens and state Reps. Todd Polinchock and Meghan Schroeder, both of Bucks County, ask him to direct the Air National Guard to withdraw its appeal.
Part of the letter reads:
“For the Air National Guard to object to meeting the modest standard of 70 ppt for its discharge into our local waterways while the federal, state and local governments are expending significant resources combatting these dangerous chemicals is inconsistent, irrational and irresponsible. Accordingly, we respectfully request you direct the Air National Guard to withdraw its appeal of the effluent discharge limits.”
“It’s just beyond my comprehension how the military could go ahead and appeal this ruling when after all, they’re the ones who started this whole contamination mess to begin with,” Stephens continued. “They’re the ones who polluted the soil and polluted the drinking water to begin with. So I think at the very least, they could meet this modest standard that the DEP has set to try to limit any further damage.”