BIDDLE AIR NATIONAL GUARD BASE, Pa. -- The 111th Attack Wing hosted Congresswoman Madeleine Dean (Pa. 4th Congressional District) here to discuss progress the base has made in addressing environmental remediation efforts related to water quality and storm-water run-off and to tour key facilities supporting this effort.
The tour, which took place Jan. 24, 2022, included visits to various 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.
“I think the highlight of the tour was the new surface water treatment system that just went into operation in August,” said Mr. Lee dePersia, Environmental Engineer with the 111th ATKW’s Civil Engineering Squadron. “The system was constructed under a cooperative agreement with the Warminster Municipal Authority, so it was nice to have Mr. Tim Hagey, the Authority’s General Manger, and his team with us for the tour.”
For nearly a decade, the 111th ATKW has been working closely with local communities, Navy, Air National Guard (ANG) and the U.S. Air Force (USAF) to address drinking water quality, and storm water run-off from Biddle Air National Guard Base, and remains committed to this combined effort.
“I thought the tour went well,” dePersia said. “The Congresswoman and her staff seem to understand the situation here at Biddle and asked some good questions.”
The 111th Attack Wing participates in the quarterly Willow Grove Air Base Restoration Advisory Board (RAB), which was established in 2015 to address community concerns and environmental issues regarding the former Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base (NAS JRB) Willow Grove and the former Air Force Reserve Station (ARS) Willow Grove.
Members of the public are invited to attend these meetings. The next scheduled RAB meeting will be held virtually at 6 p.m. March 9, 2022. Look for information on how to join the meeting in early March on the following 111th ATKW website: https://www.111attackwing.ang.af.mil/
Col. Rebecca A. Gray, Vice Commander of the 111th ATKW, was the official host of the tour.
“It was an honor hosting Congresswoman Dean and her team here to show them the progress we’ve made addressing water quality issues on base,” said Gray. “We take our environmental compliance responsibilities seriously and will continue to work with our community partners on this issue.”