WARRINGTON TOWNSHIP, Pa. (KYW Newsradio) — Warrington Township residents will be getting some payback for additional fees they had to pay in connection with a contaminated water crisis.
"I think this is excellent news for all of the Warrington residents," said Joanne Stanton, co-founder of Buxmont Coalition for Safe Water.
She said the announcement that state grant money would provide credits to customers of the former Warrington Township Water System should go a long way toward easing a lot of frustration. They were socked with higher bills after Warrington sold the system to North Wales Water Authority.
"Over the last few years, to ensure the delivery of clean water to homes, they had to pay an extra fee for clean water delivery because there were filtration systems and we were purchasing water to have it shipped into different townships, so the cost of water was higher," explained Stanton.
State Rep. Todd Stephens was one of several Pennsylvania lawmakers who helped secure the funding.
"The goal is to credit the customers for the amount they've expended over the years," he said.
The groundwater in Warrington and neighboring townships was contaminated by PFAS chemicals from firefighting foam. Stephens says there is no more PFAS, and the goal moving forward is to keep the water clean.
"To maintain that standard costs money," he said, "and that’s one of the things that our fund can be used for."
CORRECTION: The Warrington Township Water System was sold to North Wales Water Authority.