Grant To Fund 'Forever Chemical' Water Testing In Doylestown Twp.

DOYLESTOWN TOWNSHIP, PA — Doylestown Township has been awarded $105,594 in state funding to conduct baseline water testing in residential wells for various "forever" chemicals including PFAS and PFOA.

The funding - announced by State Senator Steve Santarsiero (D-10) and State Rep. Tim Brennan (D-29) - is being made available through the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development Baseline Water Quality Data Program.

“Clean, safe drinking water is a constitutional right of all Pennsylvanians,” said Senator Santarsiero. “I applaud Doylestown Township’s proactive commitment to water quality testing to ensure the health of its residents.”

Doylestown Township will use the funding to test a random sampling of private, residential wells as part of a voluntary program under the grant. The program will be voluntary, and properties will be randomly selected and asked to participate.

The grant will aide in providing the funding for the actual water test to be done. Water test results will be provided to each property owner. The data gathered will be used to gain a better understanding whether these volatile organic chemicals along with PFOA/PFAS exist and if so, how prevalent they are within private wells in the township.

“Doylestown Township officials have been very proactive about safeguarding our local water supply and taking steps to protect residents’ health and safety,” said Rep. Brennan. “As the township continues to address potential threats to our water sources and to develop plans to meet the needs of its growing population, the state aid Sen. Santarsiero and I work to deliver will help advance their projects and our joint efforts to ensure good water quality for the region.”

Jen Herring, Chair of the Doylestown Township Board of Supervisors, said, “We are deeply grateful for Senator Santarsiero and Representative Brennan’s support of Doylestown Township’s application for the DCED Baseline Water Grant. This funding will play a crucial role in our ongoing commitment to the health and safety of our residents. With these resources, we will be able to take important steps toward ensuring that our community continues to have reliable access to safe and clean drinking water.”

Act 13 of 2012 establishes the Marcellus Legacy Fund and allocates funds to the Commonwealth Financing Authority to be used fund statewide initiatives to establish baseline water quality data on private water supplies using the Baseline Water Quality Data Program. Funding can be used for projects which involve practices for water sample collection and analysis to document existing groundwater quality conditions on private water supplies.