BIDDLE AIR NATIONAL GUARD BASE, Pa. -- A Pennsylvania State Senator representing the 6th Senate District of Bucks County visited the 111th Attack Wing at Biddle Air National Guard Base in Horsham, Pennsylvania, Feb. 10, 2022.
Senator Frank Farry, who was elected to the Senate of Pennsylvania in November 2022 to represent parts of Bucks County that include nearby Warrington and Warminster townships, received an update on the organization and the base and met with members of the command during his tour.
“It was a pleasure to host Senator Farry here to share more about the mission of the 111th Attack Wing and to review some of our environmental remediation efforts with him,” said Lt. Col. Lydia R. Stefanik, 111th Civil Engineering Squadron Commander and Base Civil Engineer. “This was his first visit to the base, and it was nice to see that he was really interested in our efforts and wanted to learn about many of our ongoing projects.”
Upon arrival, Farry received a brief on Biddle ANG Base and the 111th ATKW. In addition to listing the tenants on base, the brief covered the “effective rating” earned during the 111th ATKW’s recent Capstone Inspection as well as the Wing’s recent support of domestic operations and the National Guard’s State Partnership program with Lithuania.
Farry described his first visit to the base as a positive one.
"It was great to visit Biddle Air National Guard Base in Horsham to learn more about the 111th Attack Wing and their multi-faceted operations," said Farry. "I was also glad to see their efforts and progress in working to address the community water quality issues and storm water runoff from the base, and I look forward to working with the base moving forward on this important issue."
Following the brief, Farry toured Biddle ANG Base.
Stefanik and Mr. Lee dePersia, Environmental Engineer for the 111th ATKW, led Farry on a tour of monitoring sites for Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) in the groundwater, a new water treatment plant constructed for the base in 2017, and the new large-capacity surface water treatment system, which went into operation Aug. 17, 2021. This treatment system was constructed through a cooperative agreement with Warminster Township.
"We take our environmental compliance responsibilities seriously and we work closely with our local representatives and community partners on this issue," said Stefanik. "I was glad to show Senator Farry and his team the progress we have made in dealing with drinking water quality and ground water treatment at the base."