PENNVEST Grant Press Announcement
May 15, 2023
On Monday May 15, 2023 the Perkasie Regional Authority was honored to host a press conference with Senator Robert Casey announcing the funding of a $3.68 million PENNVEST Grant for the purpose of extending public drinking water to serve more than 50 homes in East and West Rockhill Township that are currently utilizing private wells contaminated by per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS).
For far too many years, the families in these homes have had to rely on bottled water to drink from or install expensive filtration devices on their wells in an effort to provide clean water for their families. As a result of the tremendous leadership of Senator Casey, these vital funds will make remarkable positive impacts on families in our community.
Since he was elected to the United States Senate in 2006, Senator Casey has fought for clean air, pure water, and for the preservation of our environment. As part of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, Senator Casey helped secure more than $265 million dollars in federal funding from the Environmental Protection Agency to make Pennsylvania’s drinking water safer and cleaner. This announcement and funding are a direct result of his continued leadership in the United States Senate for the people of Pennsylvania.
These grant funds from PENNVEST will cover the costs associated with extending an 8” public water main roughly 6,500 linear feet along Old Bethlehem Pike and Tabor Road. This extension will give 53 homes access to clean drinking water as well as provide them fire protection with the 11 new fire hydrants that will be installed. Since its inception, PENNVEST has served the communities and citizens of Pennsylvania by funding sewer, storm water and drinking water projects throughout the Commonwealth. These projects not only contribute to improving Pennsylvania’s environment and health of its people, they also provide opportunities for economic growth and jobs for Pennsylvania’s workers. This project is another example of PENNVEST’s tremendous efforts to make sure every Pennsylvanian has clean water.
Back in 2016, Perkasie Regional Authority became aware of the Perfluorinated Chemical (PFC) contamination issue in this area after the third round of the Unregulated Contaminant Monitoring (UCMR3) results were collected and analyzed. At that time, there were more than a dozen private wells with concentration levels in excess of 70 parts per trillion, with another 40 having concentration levels above the current maximum contaminant levels of 14 and 18 parts per trillion for PFOA and PFOS, respectively.
Since that time, the Perkasie Regional Authority Board and Staff along with the help and guidance of the Authority Engineer, Andersen Engineering, a division of Pennoni, have been working tirelessly in an effort to get clean drinking water to the residents of this area. This announcement is the culmination of those efforts and hard work.
To read more about the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection’s PFAS MCL Rule, please see the link below:
Below is also a link to an article regarding the PFOA and PFOS levels in the Authority’s distribution system.
https://www.perkasieauthority.org/news-detail?item_id=13224
Should you have any questions regarding this grant, or any other questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out to the Authority Staff at 215-257-3654.
Nicholas Fretz, Perkasie Regional Authority Manager
Senator Robert Casey
Robert Boos, Executive Director of PENNVEST
Jodi Cutaiar, West Rockhill Resident
Senator Robert Casey and Nicholas Fretz
Senator Robert Casey and Nicholas Fretz
