The western portion of Warrington Township, from Folly Street to Upper State Road, and the Liverpool Greene development along County Line Street, has historically been supplied with water purchased directly from the North Wales Water Authority (NWWA). This region sits atop the Lockatong geological formation, which doesn't support large groundwater well development. The NWWA-supplied water comes from the Forest Park Water Treatment Plant in Chalfont, a state-of-the-art facility processing water from the Delaware River via the Point Pleasant pump station.

The Forest Park facility employs advanced treatment processes including flocculation, sedimentation, filtration, granular activated carbon, and pre/post ozone disinfection to ensure water quality.

The eastern section of the Township, from Valley Road to Elbow Lane, was previously served by nine Township-owned production wells drilled 300-760 feet into the Stockton geological formation. These wells are positioned along the Route 611 corridor bisecting the eastern township area.

In late 2014, EPA testing protocol changes revealed Perflourooctanesulfonic Acid (PFOS) and Perfluorooctanoic Acid (PFOA) in varying concentrations across Township wells. Though not regulated under the Safe Drinking Water Act, EPA initially set Health Advisory Limits (HAL) of 400 parts per trillion for PFOA and 200 parts per trillion for PFOS combined.

Testing showed wells 1, 2, and 6 exceeded these limits, prompting their immediate removal from service. The remaining wells tested below the provisional HAL and remained operational. In May 2016, the EPA revised the HAL to 70 parts per trillion combined, causing wells 3 and 9 to be taken offline as well.

The Township increased PFOA/PFOS testing frequency for the three remaining wells (5, 8, and 11), which consistently showed results below the revised limits. The eastern and western water systems are interconnected through controlled valves allowing water to flow into the eastern distribution system.

Since discovering the contamination, the Township increased water purchases from NWWA to up to two million gallons daily. An additional interconnection built in 2017 increased water availability to the eastern section. Upon its completion in October 2017, wells 5, 8, and 11 were removed from service, shifting to 100% NWWA supply from the Forest Park facility. A second interconnection completed in early 2018 enhanced system reliability through redundancy.

A treatment system for Wells 1, 2, and 6 is under construction to remove PFOA and PFOS to non-detectable levels, enabling their use as emergency backup supplies during droughts or other emergencies. Similar treatment systems for Wells 3 and 9 are planned to further boost emergency supply options. Federal funding has supported these interconnection and treatment system projects.

Source Water Assessments completed by the PA Department of Environmental Protection for both the NWWA Forest Park facility and Warrington Township Water Systems identified potential contamination vulnerabilities from transportation corridors, auto repair shops, stormwater runoff from agricultural fields, lawn care operations, golf courses, and parking lots.

Assessment reports are available at www.depgreenpart.stat.pa.us/elibrary/GetFolder?FolderID=4499, with complete reports at the PADEP SouthCentral Regional Office.

We monitor municipal water because sources (both tap and bottled) include rivers, lakes, streams, ponds, reservoirs, springs, and wells. As water travels across land or underground, it dissolves natural minerals and sometimes radioactive materials, and can pick up substances from animal presence or human activity.

1. What contaminants are of primary concern in Warrington's water?
2. How often is municipal water tested in Warrington Township?
3. What steps has the township taken to address PFOA/PFOS contamination?
4. Where can residents access the annual water quality report?
5. Who should residents contact with water quality concerns?