Under an agreement with the state Department of Environmental Protection over the presence of PFAS at the State College Regional Airport, Penn State has agreed to clean up the PFAS and pay part of DEP’s costs.
Penn State owns and runs the State College airport in Benner Township, Centre County. Like other airports, under FAA rules in place until 2023, Penn State was required to use a man-made foam to put out fires during training and testing. That foam contains PFAS or perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances. Known as "forever chemicals," PFAS have been widely used and can be found in many places including furniture, clothing and cookware. They have now been linked to health problems in people.
DEP said it received no information that Penn State had knowledge of any hazards associated with the fire-extinguishing foam at the time it was used at the airport.
DEP's investigation began in 2020 after sampling in 2019 that was part of a statewide effort by DEP to test water wells for PFAS indicated groundwater near the airport was contaminated with PFAS. PFAS have since been found in levels above the allowable limits in some residential drinking water wells in the airport area.
Under Penn State's agreement with the DEP, the university will investigate and clean up certain PFAS at or from the airport. In a news release, the university said it will pay more than $564,767 dollars toward DEP’s previous costs for responding to the PFAS near the airport. Those costs include providing drinking water and installing treatment systems in homes where testing revealed PFAS levels above allowable limits.
In addition to the payment to DEP, the university has agreed to sample and maintain the whole-home point of entry treatment (POET) systems installed by DEP and to provide bottled water and POETs to certain other residences and businesses. The university has hired Roux Associates Inc., an environmental consulting firm, to assist with remediation.
In the news release, James Crandall, senior director of environmental health and safety at Penn State, said: “Penn State remains committed to protecting regional groundwater and safeguarding community health by collaborating with DEP and others to develop a comprehensive plan addressing concerns.”
In June, Penn State filed a lawsuit against several companies for making and selling PFAS, arguing the companies knew the products could contaminate drinking water supplies.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is in the process of rolling out new rules limiting PFAS in drinking water.
