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    Northcentral Regional Office

    North Centre Township HSCA Investigation

    This page was last updated on April 15, 2026

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    DEP’s Bureau of Environmental Cleanup and Brownfields is investigating a groundwater plume located in North Centre Township, Columbia County, in accordance with the Hazardous Sites Cleanup Act (HSCA). Periodic updates about this investigation will be posted on this page.

    Notice of Public Comment Period

    DEP has scheduled an open house and public hearing to update residents on investigation activities and response actions related to the PFAS groundwater contamination in various locations near Bloomsburg in Columbia County. The event, scheduled for May 11, 2026, will start with an open house beginning at 5:00 pm., to allow residents to speak with representatives from DEP and our partner agencies and organizations.  The open house will include a slide presentation providing updates on the ongoing investigation.  The public hearing will begin promptly at 7:00 pm. Information on how to submit written comments and register to present oral comments during the public hearing portion of the meeting can be found below.

    Hearing Date: May 11, 2026
    Doors open: 5:00 pm for open house and brief presentation
    Public Hearing for oral comment: 7:00 pm (pre-registration to testify is strongly encouraged)
    Location: Central Columbia High School, 4777 Old Berwick Road, Bloomsburg, PA

    The Administrative Record consisting of documents related to DEP’s response to the PFAS impacts will be open for comment from April 11, 2026, until July 10, 2026, and is available at the “Administrative Record” link below. Any person may submit written comments into the record during this time only by sending them electronically to RA-EPNCECCOMMENTS@pa.gov, by mail to Cheryl Sinclair at DEP, 208 W. 3rd St, Suite 101, Williamsport, PA 17701, or by delivering them to this office in person.

    In addition, any person may present oral comments of up to three minutes for inclusion in the Administrative Record at a public hearing on May 11, 2026, at 7:00 p.m. at the Central Columbia High School Auditorium, 4777 Old Berwick Rd, Bloomsburg, PA 17815. Any person wishing to present comments during the formal public hearing must register via e-mail at  RA-EPNCECCOMMENTS@pa.gov, or by phone at 570-327-3418.  Onsite registration to speak at the hearing may also be accepted if time allows.  Registration is not required for those simply wishing to attend.

    Persons with a disability who wish to attend the hearing and require accommodation should contact DEP through RA-EPNCECCOMMENTS@pa.gov, or reach out to the Pennsylvania Hamilton Relay Service at (800) 654-5984 (TDD) to discuss how the Department can meet their needs.
     

     
    The current North Centre Township investigation began in 2024 in response to sampling data from public water supply wells collected for DEP’s Safe Drinking Water Program in 2023. This sampling was conducted as required by Pennsylvania’s regulations, establishing a maximum contaminant level (MCL) for PFAS.  The results show that groundwater in the vicinity of Ridge Road is contaminated with PFAS chemicals.

    DEP reached out to all impacted residents. At this time, residents who have responded to DEP have been provided bottled water delivery. Bottled water will continue to be provided until DEP installs an in-home treatment system, municipal water can be provided, and/or another final remedy is determined.

    The goals of the current HSCA investigation are to define the extent of contamination, ensure that residents and the environment are protected, locate potential sources of contamination, and determine possible cleanup and treatment options. 

    For more information on PFAS compounds, please see the web links below. For more information about the HSCA program, visit DEP’s HSCA Annual Report Story Map and the HSCA home page.

    Please direct questions pertaining to the North Centre Township PFAS HSCA investigation to the DEP Northcentral Region at ra-epncechsca@pa.gov.

    Investigation Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

    DEP’s Bureau of Environmental Cleanup and Brownfields is investigating a groundwater plume located in North Centre Township, Columbia County, and additional nearby municipalities in accordance with the Hazardous Sites Cleanup Act (“HSCA”).

    Compounds from a family of chemicals collectively known as PFAS have been found in groundwater in certain areas of North Centre Township and nearby municipalities. PFAS stands for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances. They are man-made chemicals that have been produced for decades in the United States and used in a wide variety of industrial and household applications. Due to their widespread use, PFAS have been reported in surface water, groundwater as well as soils across the globe. These chemicals can persist for decades without breaking down. They have been nicknamed “forever chemicals.”

    The current North Centre Township investigation began in 2024 in response to sampling data from public water supply wells collected for DEP’s Safe Drinking Water Program in 2023. This sampling was conducted as required by Pennsylvania’s regulations, establishing a maximum contaminant level (“MCL”) for PFAS in drinking water. The results show that groundwater in the vicinity of Ridge Road is contaminated with PFAS chemicals.

    The goals of the current HSCA investigation are to define the extent of contamination, ensure that residents and the environment are protected, locate potential sources of contamination, and determine possible cleanup and treatment options. 

    DEP’s investigation continues, and it is too early to definitively identify a source or sources. DEP’s initial focus has been on identifying the extent of impacts to residential water supply wells and mitigating human exposure by sampling residential water supply wells and providing bottled water and treatment systems for impacted water supply wells. DEP will endeavor to determine the potential source or sources through continued investigation. Based on the information that DEP has collected so far, it appears likely that a source of contamination is the historic spreading of sewage sludge on agricultural properties in the area.

    DEP has located multiple sites in our records that were permitted to accept sewage sludge. In addition, DEP’s review of Bloomsburg Municipal Authority records indicates that there were other sites that received the sludge before individual permitting was required. DEP continues to investigate the sites where records indicate this sludge was spread.

    Please contact DEP’s Environmental Cleanup and Brownfields Program in the Northcentral Regional Office via email at RA-EPNCECHSCA@pa.gov.

    The HSCA investigation began with the sampling of the home water wells around Brookside Mobile Home Park. Sampling of residential water wells is ongoing to try to identify the extent of the impacts. Environmental investigations are often detailed and take a significant amount of time. A timeline of activities at this site is available on DEP’s website, and DEP will continue to keep the community updated on the progress of its investigation through this web page.

    DEP has been working with property owners for access to conduct soil sampling, which is expected to begin in October 2025. The results of the environmental sampling will be posted at the above-referenced link to DEP’s website for this case.

    Monitoring wells will be installed as part of the environmental investigation. Well installation is anticipated to happen soon after the soil sampling has been completed.

    DEP has been in contact with the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture. DEP does not regulate contamination issues related to crop growth or food safety. DEP only regulates PFAS in environmental media such as groundwater or soil. DEP’s understanding is that there are no federal or state agricultural regulations applying to PFAS contaminated soil where agricultural products are grown at this time.

    Your primary care physician is the best person with which to discuss personal medical concerns. PFAS information is available on the Department of Health’s  webpage. DEP’s website, referenced above, also has links to Pennsylvania Department of Health resources; please check regularly for updates.

    DEP does not share specific results for individuals with parties other than the property owner. A general idea of the concentration at a location can be obtained by looking at the concentration maps on this website, referenced above.

    Treatment Systems and Bottled Water FAQs

    DEP utilized information from past experience in similar cases and consulted with its contractor and a water system expert to select the appropriate systems being offered for installation. The treatment systems were tested to the appropriate national standards and were demonstrated to effectively filter out PFAS.

    In the case of the point of entry treatment (POET) systems, DEP will sample the treated water following installation of the POET system. Once results confirm the system is effectively mitigating PFAS compounds to drinking water standards, DEP will then cease delivery of bottled water.  DEP will conduct sampling on a regular basis as long as the system is needed, or until it is turned over to the residents once DEP’s investigation has been completed. If DEP determines that PFAS compounds are beginning to pass through the filter media, the treatment cylinder(s) will be replaced, and sampling will continue. 

    To date, the post-treatment sampling at all of the installed POET systems has been shown to be effectively removing the PFAS.

    Many treatment systems are available that remove PFAS from drinking water. Their success and efficiency depend upon many variables, including the concentration of PFAS in the source water, the quality of the water (such as hardness, pH, total suspended solids and mineral content), the volume of water used by a particular family of occupants, and the capacity and/or specifications of the system installed. More options are available on the market to treat very low levels of PFAS than for the higher levels seen in the most impacted wells in DEP’s investigation area. DEP is installing treatment systems that can account for these factors.

    DEP’s contractor, Culligan, has shared that change-out of the filtration media currently costs just under $2,000 for the POET system designed to address the highest contamination levels. Replacement of the filtration media in systems designed for lower concentrations would be less. The frequency at which this is needed will vary at each home and depends upon the concentration of PFAS compounds in the well and volume of water used, along with other factors such as water chemistry. DEP has followed Culligan’s recommendations for components that will help extend the life of the system, such as water softeners and sediment filters.

    No. Property owners are free to select and install a different treatment system. However, costs associated with the private treatment system purchase, installation and maintenance will be at the homeowner’s expense.

    All residents above the drinking water standard have been offered bottled water. Please keep in mind that the provision of bottled drinking water is meant to serve as an interim response only. Bottled water is a temporary solution until treatment systems are installed, which is the official HSCA interim remedial response action. DEP asks for residents’ patience as it works with the contractors since the need for bottled drinking water in the investigation area has been higher than usual.

    DEP continues to install treatment systems at residences where water samples have exceeded the drinking water standard, beginning with those that have had the highest concentrations. DEP also wants to remind homeowners that once a treatment system is installed, and testing confirms the systems are effectively removing PFAS to meet drinking water standards, bottled water deliveries to those homes will cease. The treatment systems serve as the drinking water source from that point forward. To date, the post-treatment sampling at all of the installed POET systems has been shown to be effectively removing the PFAS.

    Environmental Covenant FAQs

    The environmental covenant is required when DEP supplies a POET system to protect any potential future homeowners should the POET systems be determined to be the final remedy for PFAS mitigation. While the presence of contamination is required to be disclosed to a future homeowner, the environmental covenant provides information specific to the POET system’s operation and maintenance and the need for its continued use to supply safe drinking water. DEP has no mechanism to continue operation and maintenance of POET systems for private home wells after the HSCA investigation is completed.

    The covenant is recorded with the deed so that at the time of property transfer, a new homeowner is aware of the existing contamination and requirements for water treatment. It is filed at the county courthouse.

    The covenant describes the contamination existing on the property, the reason for mitigation, the method of mitigation (i.e. the POET system), and the maintenance and testing recommendations to continue filtering out the contaminants from the groundwater. The only restriction for activities on the property is to not use the groundwater for consumptive purposes unless it first passes through the POET system. There are no restrictions on other activities on the property. An example covenant can be found below:

    If future testing shows that the untreated drinking water at the residence decreases below the drinking water standards for PFAS contaminants and remains below the drinking water standard, or if a public water source was provided, then the covenant may be removed. The covenant contains a provision for modification or termination.

    Nothing in the covenant takes away the right to take private action. The covenant simply ensures that any future purchaser of the property is aware that system maintenance and testing is required to continue using the well as a drinking water source.  DEP requires the covenant because the POET systems are funded with taxpayer dollars. This is consistent with DEP’s mission to protect public health and safety by ensuring that any future residents are properly informed.

    If you elect not to accept a DEP provided POET system, you would not need to place a covenant on the deed. However, you should consult with an attorney about disclosure of environmental contamination to any potential purchasers.

    DEP is supplying a treatment system that has been proven to work at no cost to the residents. The covenant that goes along with the treatment system provided by DEP documents the necessity to continue to operate the treatment system in order to drink the water. Additionally, the homeowner will be able to provide sample results and maintenance records to potential future buyers. Properties without a covenant may not have the same documentation and associated assurances for any future buyers.

    PA Department of Health:

    U.S. EPA Resources:

    Penn State Extension Resources:

    NOTICE: DEP understands there is significant community interest in this case.  To aid in the efficient exchange of information, please first review this web page, including the documents contained in the Administrative Record.  The web page is updated regularly.  If the desired information is not found, please send all questions to RA-EPNCECHSCA@pa.gov.  We will respond as soon as possible.  Please be aware that response times may be impacted by the need for staff assigned to this case to conduct sample collection and other field work.  Thank you for your understanding.

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