News Flash

County News & Press Releases

Posted on: March 27, 2023

Bucks County Continues to Monitor Chemical Spill Response

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The County of Bucks continues to monitor the response to the chemical spill in Bristol Township.

County EMA remains on scene and in close contact with state, federal and local partners, as well as the water providers in the affected area.

There continues to be no known adverse impacts to drinking water in Bucks County.

The water suppliers in the area reported this morning that contaminants from this weekend’s spill are not being detected near the intakes for their plants along the river. They say contaminants also have not been detected in the drinking water supply.

Multiple samples collected Sunday by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and U.S. Coast Guard also have shown no contamination near the water intakes. Sampling is expected to continue today.

Residents in Bristol Borough, Bristol Township, and Bensalem Township who may have questions should contact their water provider. The County will update residents as information becomes available.

The PA Department of Environmental Protection is leading the response and their Southeast Regional Community Relations Coordinator, Stephanie Berardi ([email protected]), is the primary media contact for this ongoing incident.

Statement from Pennsylvania American Water

“The health and safety of our customers is our top priority. Pennsylvania American Water is monitoring the water quality of the Delaware River following a chemical release that occurred yesterday from a manufacturing plant into a tributary of the river in Bristol, Pa. The company is maintaining regular communication with state and federal agencies regarding the situation. The company has determined there is no impact to the company’s Yardley Water Treatment Plant, which is located approximately 15 miles upstream of the chemical release. In Bucks County, Pennsylvania American Water serves Lower Makefield Township, Yardley Borough, and parts of Falls Township. We will continue to monitor the source water and provide updates if there are any developments.”

Statement from Aqua

Aqua Acted Immediately to Protect our Drinking Water from Spill on Delaware River Tributary in Bristol. We continue to monitor the situation while also working closely with state and federal agencies.

The safety of our customers and employees is Aqua’s top priority. Our operations team immediately shut down the intake to our Bristol water system as soon as we learned of the chemical spill, preventing customer exposure to hazardous materials. As a result of their fast action, we are not seeing any of the chemicals from the spill in our drinking water.

We continue to monitor the situation closely while also working closely with state and federal agencies. We will reopen our intake only when we are confident that the source water is safe for our customers and meets our stringent quality standards.

Statement from Lower Bucks County Joint Municipal Authority

The health and safety of our customers is our top priority. Lower Bucks County Joint Municipal Authority (The Authority) has been monitoring the water quality of the Delaware River following a chemical release that occurred yesterday from a manufacturing plant into a tributary of the river in Bristol, PA. The Authority is maintaining regular communication with the local, county, and state agencies regarding the situation. At this time, there is no impact to the Authority’s Water Treatment Plant, which is located upstream of the chemical release, and that the Authority’s Potable Water supply is safe. We are continuing to monitor the source water and will provide updates if there are any changes.

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