The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection will host a public hearing Monday, May 11, to discuss groundwater contamination affecting North Centre Township and surrounding municipalities in Columbia County.
The hearing at Central Columbia High School Auditorium in Bloomsburg will address the detection of perfluoroalkyl substances, known as PFAS, at levels exceeding federal drinking water standards.
An open house begins at 5 p.m., followed by a formal public hearing to accept public testimony from 7 to 9 p.m.
The DEP’s webpage dedicated to its investigation into the groundwater contamination includes the Do Not Eat advisory announced earlier this year for all species of fish in Briar Creek (Columbia County) and Middle Spring Creek (Cumberland and Franklin counties). The warning is due to high levels of a PFAS called Perfluorooctane Sulfonate (PFOS) in sampled fish tissue.
Representatives from the DEP, the state departments of Health and Agriculture, Penn State Extension and the Geisinger Research Institute are scheduled to attend the open house. The formal hearing will accept testimony on the DEP’s proposed interim response to the contamination.
The session marks the second round of public comment for the project. Officials described a significant expansion in the area of investigation since the initial hearing in 2025.
Residents who wish to testify must register by 4 p.m. Friday, May 8, by emailing RA-EPNCECCOMMENTS@pa.gov or calling 570-327-3418. Oral testimony is limited to three minutes per person and will be recorded by a stenographer.
The DEP is conducting a state-led investigation to definitively identify the source and extent of the contamination while providing bottled water and in-home treatment systems to affected residents.
“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,” the DEP’s North Centre Township Hazardous Sites Cleanup Act webpage states.
As of March 31, the DEP was providing bottled water to 81 homes and 34 homes had treatment systems installed across the entire area subject to the investigation. This covers Bloomsburg Town and the townships of Catawissa, Locust, Main, Mount Pleasant, and North and South Centre in Columbia County.
The agency will accept written comments through July 10. Comments can be sent to Cheryl Sinclair at RA-EPNCECCOMMENTS@pa.gov or by mail to DEP, 208 W. Third St., Suite 101, Williamsport, PA 17701. Following the close of the comment period in July, the agency plans to release a document responding to all testimony received.
Funding for the investigation and local water assistance comes from the state Hazardous Sites Cleanup Act program, which allows the state to manage remediation when responsible parties cannot be identified.
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