Answers sought from Navy on possible contamination in Bucks, Montgomery

Residents of parts of Horsham, Montgomery County, and Warminster in Bucks County who have been long concerned about tainted water wells in the vicinity of military facilities are now wondering if the Navy has been less than forthcoming about what it knew and when.

Kyle Bagenstose, environmental reporter for the Bucks County Courier Times, joined NewsWorks Tonight host Dave Heller to discuss the possible ramifications caused by the Navy’s delay in notifying residents of the possibility of contamination at the former Naval Air Station Willow Grove and the Naval Air Warfare Center in Warminster.

The chemicals causing the health concern are contained in firefighting foams used by many military branches to extinguish flames when plain water is ineffective. But one of the carcinogens has been in the public eye for its role in the household.

“People might be familiar with concerns over Teflon pans,” said Bagenstose. “PFOA [perfluorooctanoic acid] was the chemical commonly found in Teflon pans.”

Republican U.S. Reps. Patrick Meehan and Mike Fitzpatrick and U.S. Rep. Brendan Boyle, a Democrat, have asked the Navy how it handled the discovery of the chemicals in groundwater at the two closed bases. The congressmen also say similar contamination is being investigated at the Horsham Air Guard Station, which is still operating.