Groundwater Contamination Near Horsham Base Concerns Residents, Experts

Groundwater contamination near the former Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base Willow Grove has concerned both residents and environmental experts, according to a Montgomery News report.

During a recent meeting of the Restoration Advisory Board, residents questioned officials about how long groundwater contamination had been known about, and what the potential impact of it could be, the report stated.

Some of these questions were not directly answered.

The chemcials found on the base were perfluorinated compounds, including perfluorooctane sulfonoate (PFOS) and perfluoroctanoic acid (PFOA), the report stated.

It is believed many of the chemicals came from firefighting training on the base property, according to the report.

“They’re manmade chemicals” used in many products, including nonstick coatings, water repellents and firefighting foams,” said Willie Lin, the chairman of the board, according to the report.

An EPA representative at the meeting said they did not have enough information to answer all questions,

“We don’t know enough about these chemicals,” the representative, Karen Johnson, told Montgomery News.