Wing participates in Horsham community town hall meeting

  • Published
  • By Master Sgt. Christopher Botzum
  • 111th Attack Wing Public Affairs
HORSHAM, Pa - --  Wing members joined with local, state and federal agencies at the Horsham Community Center yesterday to assist area residents with any questions or concerns they may have regarding the recently discovered, unregulated contaminant to the immediate area water supply.

"The forum and open discussion was an excellent way to distribute information," said Lt. Col. Jacqueline Siciliano, Horsham Air Guard Station's environmental manager. "People were able to go direct to and speak one-on-one with representatives from the Environmental Protection Agency, local water authority and Navy Base Closure and Realignment Commission."

An estimated 250 people from around the area attended the 3-hour event showcasing facts about the contaminants, previously remediated environmental issues and other ongoing projects.
 
"We're being proactive," said Siciliano. "Testing of area wells and on-base monitoring wells continues for the PFOS/PFOA [Perfluorooctane Sulfonate and Perfluorooctanoic acid] contaminants so we can have the best information available. We [Horsham Air Guard Station personnel] are not only a part of the community, but a partner."

The contaminants that were discovered were over the health advisory limits, but are not required to be tested under the Safe Drinking Water Act [42 U.S.C. §300f et seq. (1974)].

For more information on the meeting, go to http://www.111fw.ang.af.mil and see the Willow Grove handouts PDF file.