Public Water Quality

Upper Dublin Township Water Quality

The purpose of this page is to update Township residents on the current status of the public water in Upper Dublin Township, related to the groundwater contamination originating from the Willow Grove Naval Air Base. The safety of our residents is of utmost importance to Upper Dublin Township and, as such, we will make every effort to provide the most current information possible as it becomes available.

Public water in Upper Dublin is supplied by three providers: Aqua Pennsylvania, Ambler Borough Water Company and North Wales Water Authority (NWWA). At this time, all three utilities have provided us with statements that, although both public and private groundwater sources in the vicinity of the Willow Grove Naval Air Station and the Warminster Naval Air Development Center were impacted by these contaminants, the water serving Upper Dublin Township falls within the limits established by EPA health advisory. Water is continually monitored and tested to ensure compliance with all state and federal drinking water regulations and advisories.

This information does not necessarily apply to private wells, and it is recommended that residents with private water have their wells tested. Both the EPA and CDC recommend contacting a State Certified Laboratory for Drinking Water Testing. Montgomery County provided a list of certified labs.

Questions should be directed to your individual water supplier. To determine your provider, view a Water Utilities Service Area Map on our website that is a rough guide only.

Resolution-18-2291

The Board of Commissioners passed Resolution-18-2291 in support of Pennsylvania House Bill 705, "Pennsylvania Safe Drinking Water" Act on July 10, 2018.

Ambler Borough Water Company
(215) 646-1000 ext. 124

Ambler Borough Responses to Water Quality
Access Ambler Borough’s hydrant flushing page. The page is usually updated by 10:00 a.m. each weekday. Flushing is scheduled from 11:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m. Sunday night through Friday morning.

Additional Information & Resources

Home Water Treatment Technologies

Provided by the Philadelphia office of the Center for Disease Control - CDC

Home water treatment technologies fact sheet statement from the EPA states that:

“Home drinking water treatment units are typically certified by independent third party organizations against American National Standards Institute (ANSI) standards to verify their contaminant removal claims. Some home filters remove impurities using activated carbon and reverse osmosis, which are the same technologies utilized by public water supply systems to remove PFOA and PFOS. However, there currently are no ANSI protocols for testing home treatment systems to verify that these devices effectively remove PFOA and PFOS or how frequently the filters should be changed in order to maintain removal efficiency. NSF International is currently developing such protocols.”

See page 3 of EPA's Drinking Water Health Advisories for PFOA and PFOS fact sheet.
EPA’s discussion on home treatment options (see page 65).
Minnesota study to evaluate home point of use treatment devices. This report notes that both activated carbon (AC) and reverse osmosis (RO) treatment technologies have the ability to effectively reduce PFAS in water (note, the detection limit achievable at the time of this 2008 study was higher than is feasible now).

Informational Links

Provided by the Philadelphia office of the Center for Disease Control - CDC

Aqua PA - PFC (PFOA & PFOS) Test Results for Upper Dublin Township Well
Horsham Township Water Quality Information
US Environmental Protection Agency - PFAS Website
View Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR)/CDC information on PFAS chemicals and health effects or call 1-800-CDC-INFO
Private well sampling, including a map of the sampling areas near former Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base Willow Grove, can be found on the BRAC Program Management Office website. The Navy has confirmed that the sampling area for this investigation does not extend west of Horsham Township.
Montgomery County Department of Health also has a website with contact information for various organizations involved in the Willow Grove/Warminster PFAS investigations.
EPA’s factsheet on the PFOA and PFOS health advisory levels

Reports & Information 2022-2015

2022

The Pennsylvania Department of Health, RTI International, and Temple University are conducting a national, multi-site health study investigating PFAS exposure through contaminated drinking water and its possible links with various human health outcomes in our community. The study will help us learn how PFAS, a group of human-made chemicals, may have affected the health of people in our community who were exposed through PFAS-contaminated drinking water. Learn more on the PFAS website.