MUNICIPAL SERVICES COMMISSION CONTINUES WORKING WITH FEDERAL AND STATE AGENCIES REGARDING PFAS CONTAMINANTS

NEWS RELEASE: In August 2014, the Municipal Services Commission (MSC) of the City of New Castle voluntarily placed their wells out of service due to the detection of the unregulated compounds Perflurorooctane Sulfonate (PFOS) and Perfluorooctanoic Acid (PFOA) in the City water supply. PFOS and PFOA are part of a group of chemicals known as per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). The MSC purchased water from Artesian Water Company until a temporary water treatment system could be put in place to remove the contaminates from the City’s water. After installing a 700 GPM Granular Activated Carbon System in November 2014, the MSC was able to begin pumping their wells again as the filter system removed the PFAS compounds to levels well below the EPA Provisional Health Advisory. In December 2015, MSC placed in service a permanent 1,100gpm Activated Carbon Filtration System to remove the PFAS compounds.
In 2015, the Delaware Department of Natural Resources & Environmental Control (DNREC) completed a Preliminary Assessment regarding the PFAS contamination and submitted a report to the EPA for review. Additional groundwater samples were taken by the EPA on the New Castle County Airport Property and on the adjacent Air National Guard Base property. Currently, the MSC is aware that the EPA & DNREC site inspection process is still underway. A remedial investigation will begin after the inspection is complete and then a remediation plan will be developed and agreed upon by the EPA and DNREC. Earlier this month, the acting EPA Administrator announced a First-Ever Comprehensive Nationwide PFAS Action Plan which will set Maximum Contaminant Levels (MCL) on PFOS and PFOA. Additionally, the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) and the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) have identified communities near current or former military installations to be part of exposure assessments to examine human exposure to per and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). New Castle County Delaware near the New Castle Air National Guard Base has been selected to be part of exposure assessments to examine human exposure to PFAS compounds. The assessments are expected to begin in 2019 and continue through 2020. The MSC will work with the CDC/ATSDR and all Federal and State agencies to ensure the City’s drinking water meets or exceeds all Federal and State of Delaware drinking water standards. Anyone with questions should feel free to contact the Municipal Services Commission at 323-2330.