Assistant General Manager Appears Before Board
Upon the request of the Newtown Board of Supervisors, Mr. Dan Angove, Assistant General Manager of Newtown Artesian Water Company, reported on the quality of water and concerns of carcinogens based on a newspaper article published in the August 4, 2017, issue of the Bucks County Courier Times.
The quality of our drinking water is the #1 concern of respondents to my Newtown Issues Survey (see here). 81% say the quality of drinking water is VERY IMPORTANT to them. Another 14% say it is SOMEWHAT IMPORTANT.
One respondent commented: "The water report I saw is not ok. I bought my house 2 years ago from a young woman who was dying from a rare cancer. While it may not be related, it makes me uneasy. The neighbors tell me there has been a lot of cancer here."
According to Mr. Angove, "the Company exceeds all regulations." Furthermore, according to the minutes of the meeting, Angove claimed that "the newspaper article was authored by a California resident who was working for a company selling water fitters."
The BCCT article, however, was written by Kyle Bagenstose, a Staff Writer. Perhaps Angove was referring to, the Environmental Working Group (EWG), a non-profit organization that actually did the study and was referenced in the article.
According to EWG, the Newtown Artesian water supply includes 7 contaminants above health guidelines set by EWG. This includes chemicals detected in 2015 for which annual utility averages exceeded an EWG-selected health guideline established by a federal or state public health authority; chemicals detected under the EPA's Unregulated Contaminant Monitoring Rule (UCMR 3) program in 2013 to 2015, for which annual utility averages exceeded a health guideline established by a federal or state public health authority; radiological contaminants detected between 2010 and 2015.
The 7 contaminants are:
- Bromodichloromethane - can cause cancer
- Chlorate - can cause harm to the thyroid
- Chloroform - can cause cancer
- Chromium (hexavalent) - can cause cancer
- Dibromochloromethane - can cause cancer
- Radiological contaminants - can cause cancer
- Total trihalomethanes - can cause cancer
This result, noted Angove, "is based on a study of health guidelines whereas the Company follows State and Federal guidelines for acceptable levels," according to the Board of Supervisors meeting minutes.
The Artesian Water Company gets its water from a variety of sources - not all of which are "artesian."
"The sources of water for Newtown is from Bucks County Water (60%) and Pennsylvania American Water, and both attain their water from the Delaware River," said Angove. "The water is blended with 5 wells in-house for the remaining 40%."
"The basis of residents' concerns is the situation at the Willow Grove Naval Air Station," said Angove who believes there is "no particular danger from that contamination to the Company's water." He added that the Company proactively performs precautionary tests throughout the year.
Angove wasn't able to offer any information on how fracking could affect the water supply in the area.
All consumer confidence reports, with sample results, can be found at the Company's website www.newtownwater.com.and includes contact information for more information.
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