US EPA Horsham, Pennsylvania PFAS Community Engagement July 25, 2018 Hatboro-Horsham High School Auditorium 899 Horsham Road, Horsham, PA 19044 Listening Session Summary Listening Session Welcome and Introduction Cosmo Servidio, Administrator, EPA Region 3, welcomed and thanked community members and groups, state and local officials, and elected officials for their attendance and participation. Mr. Servidio articulated that the purpose of the EPA's listening session was to engage with communities and receive their input to develop EPA's National PFAS Management Plan. Dr. Peter Grevatt, Director, EPA, Office of Ground Water and Drinking Water, thanked participants for coming to the event to share perspectives. Dr. Grevatt emphasized EPA's commitment to finding solutions by working across the entire Agency and with local, state, and federal partners. Dr. Grevatt stressed the EPA's intent to develop a PFAS Management Plan, to better coordinate federal efforts, and to listen and learn from impacted communities. Dr. Grevatt described EPA's commitments announced at the PFAS National Summit: • EPA will initiate steps to evaluate the need for a maximum contaminant level (MCL) for PFOA and PFOS. • EPA will initiate the necessary steps to propose designating PFOA and PFOS as "hazardous substances" through one of the available statutory mechanisms, including potentially CEP,CLA Section 102. • EPA is currently developing groundwater cleanup recommendations for PFOA and PFOS at contaminated sites. • EPA is acting in close collaboration with federal and state partners to develop toxicity values for GenX and PFBS. Dr. Grevatt informed participants that EPA has a docket (http://www.regulations.gov: enter Docket ID No. EPA-OW-2018-0270) available to provide comments on the development of EPA's National PFAS Management Plan. The materials presented at all of the following sessions can be downloaded at the EPA website: https://www.epa.gov/sites/production/files/2018-07/documents/master combined horshampresentationsiuly26 O.pdf. This summary reflects a high-level synthesis of the perspectives participants shared during the community engagement event and does not imply consensus, endorsement, or agreement on any of the topics. ------- Ongoing PFAS Research and Federal Panel on PFAS Activity A panel of federal officials reviewed ongoing research at EPA and the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) and the work currently underway at US Department of Defense sites in addressing PFAS. • Dr. Andy Gillespie, Associate Director, EPA, Office of Research and Development (ORD), described the five areas EPA ORD is researching: analytical methods, exposure pathways, human health/toxicity, treatment/remediation approaches, and technical assistance opportunities. • Maureen Sullivan, Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense, Department of Defense (DoD), Environment, Safety & Occupational Health Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense, described the ongoing work to address PFAS associated with DoD sites. The presentation described the status of pending health studies. • Lora Werner, Director, Region 3, and Dr. William (Bill) Cibulas, Director, Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR), Division of Toxicology and Human Health Sciences, emphasized the importance of listening and acting on community needs. Their presentation indicated that there is still much more health data to gather on PFAS, and that many new health studies are being conducted and completed. The presentation indicated that ATSDR is planning a multi-site epidemiologic study and is currently in the process of writing study protocols. State Panel on PFAS Activity State officials provided an overview of PFAS issues and challenges in Pennsylvania, Maryland, Delaware, and West Virginia. The presentations are available at: https://www.epa.gov/sites/production/files/2018- 07/documents/master combined horshampresentationsiuly26 O.pdf (9mb). • Lisa Daniels, Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection • Sharon Watkins, Pennsylvania Department of Health • Todd Keyser, Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control • Keith Mensch, Delaware Department of Health • John Grace, Maryland Department of the Environment • Scott Mandirola, West Virginia Department of Environmental Quality Local Panel on PFAS Activity in the Warminster/Willow Grove/Horsham Area Local government/township officials and water authorities provided EPA with feedback regarding their experiences with PFAS in the Horsham/Warwick/Warminster/Warrington Townships. Officials discussed PFAS in their community. They provided information regarding PFOA and PFOS that were detected above the Health Advisory level in Horsham, Warminster, and Willow Grove during the UCMR3 sampling. They demonstrated how the towns quickly acted to provide safe drinking water by switching sources and/or installing GAC to treat water from contaminated wells. They summarized information regarding the source of contamination and how it was traced to the military facilities. They also indicated that the Department of Defense has been cooperating with the state and local authorities to address the issue and provide safe water, including connecting most homes with private wells that tested above the Health Advisory Level to the public water supply. However, they expressed frustration at the speed which DoD, and to some extent, EPA, are getting things done to address PFAS. 2 ------- The presentations are available at: https://www.epa.gov/sites/production/files/2018- 07/documents/master combined horshampresentationsiulv26 O.pdf (9mb). • Christopher Crockett, Aqua PA • Michael McGee, Horsham Land Redevelopment Authority • Bill Walker, Horsham Township • Michael Pickel, Horsham Water and Sewer Authority • Gregory Schuster, Warminster Township • Tim Hagey, Warminster Municipal Authority • Barry Luber, Warrington Township • Chad Corey, CKS Engineers for Warrington Water Department • Kyle Seckinger, Warwick Township • Michael Sullivan, Warwick Township Water and Sewer Authority Community Presentation This session provided an opportunity for the community to share their experiences with PFAS. Community members shared videos and accounts from the region including Warrington, Horsham, Warminster, Warwick, Northampton, and Upper Dublin. The community presentation included information on the National PFAS Contamination Coalition. The presentations are available at: https://www.epa.gov/sites/production/files/2018-07/documents/master combined horsham presentationsiulv26 O.pdf (9mb). The following individuals were the presenters: • Joanne Stanton • Hope Grosse • MarkCuker Community Listening Session Cosmo Servidio and Peter Grevatt welcomed community members and groups and articulated the importance of the listening sessions in developing EPA's National PFAS Management Plan. The session was kicked off with a video from Congressman Boyle (PA 13th district). Close to 50 community members shared input during the community listening session. The following is a synthesized list of themes and points shared during the listening session: Health Impacts Community members spoke about health problems in their families and their communities. Commenters shared their individual experiences and discussed the health and economic impacts to their families. They urged the EPA to further investigate the high frequency of occurrence of negative health impacts in the community. Others noted that there is no clear determination of past concentrations and exposure, which they felt may be much higher, resulting in serious health impacts. In addition to current and past health impacts, commenters also stated that they were fearful of future and ongoing exposure. Several commenters spoke to the need for long-term comprehensive biomonitoring. They recommended EPA take proactive measures to identify and treat community health impacts associated with PFAS, including their desire to be included in upcoming health studies. 3 ------- Private Wells Community members expressed that risk characterization is important for private well owners. They expressed concerns with the costs to install a carbon filter and recommended that the cost burden for remediation for wells that test below the Health Advisory Level, and therefore have not been connected to the public water supply, should be covered upfront by producers and users of PFAS, rather than private individuals. Commenters asked for information or mapping on contaminated areas to better support decision making, such as where to drill private wells. Risk Communication Community members expressed the need for more effective communications and greater transparency. Some commenters expressed frustration with the lack of timely guidance and information. Others felt the communications were inconsistent and ineffective. Commenters pointed to the lack of trust between regulators and community as a barrier to communication. They urged the EPA to rebuild trust through action, first by providing funding and testing, and second by developing guidelines and communication resources. There is confusion about different numbers and standards, which leaves community members hesitant to drink the water in their homes. Standards/Guidance Community members recommended that EPA regulate or address PFAS as a family of chemicals, rather than review each chemical separately. They urged EPA to develop MCL(s) rather than health advisories to better enable drinking water utilities to take action. There was a collective desire for EPA to develop national guidance to protect families and communities across the country. By providing regulators an enforceable standard, commenters felt the EPA would be better able to safeguard human health and the environment. Community members urged that PFAS and associated chemicals be listed as hazardous substances. Cost Impacts Community members identified the cost impacts to their families and community from PFAS. They indicated that they are bearing the cost of the cleanup and increased costs of health care. Commenters expressed that the polluters should be responsible for costs. They shared their frustration at the high cost PFAS contamination has had on health and finances. They urged the EPA to consider the stories of the people behind the statistics and data. Commenters identified the need for additional funding for states to support health monitoring. They encouraged the EPA to fast-track the development of treatment solutions. Additionally, many commenters stated that they were fearful of their exposure and for the potential for future medical problems. Commenters noted that military members that formerly lived in the area may have been exposed and should be contacted and provided support. Remediation Community members expressed a sense of urgency to deal with the issues including cleanup deadlines. They felt that remediation timelines should be aligned at Horsham Air Guard Station/former Naval Station Joint Reserve Base - Willow Grove and former Naval Air Warfare Center - Warminster. They recommended that remediation at these sites be expedited as the health, wellbeing, and economic development of the community depended on it. One commenter pointed to the need for comprehensive remediation and treatment, which would include addressing PFAS in air, soil, and water. Community members expressed that source water protection is critical, including treatment of wastewater and storm water from the military bases. 4 ------- |