WHITE HAVEN, LUZERNE COUNTY (WBRE/WYOU)— A local water treatment plant will soon be getting some much needed upgrades to remove potentially harmful chemicals from their community's drinking water.
And it's all thanks to some recent state funding.
These chemicals, known as PFAS or 'forever chemicals' are extremely difficult to remove from water.
Thanks to the recent funding, Aqua Pennsylvania's plant in White Haven will have an easier time keeping their community safe.
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PFAS, often referred to as 'forever chemicals', are man-made chemicals used in a wide range of products from water repellent and non-stick pans to firefighting foam.
The chemicals are extremely durable, but can be harmful to your health.
And they are difficult to remove from water, making conventional filtration methods useless.
"They call them forever chemicals, which is kind of scary," stated Penn Lake Park resident, Lisa Stuart.
"It makes me feel really uncomfortable, you know, you shower, you drink the same water that has all these pollutions in it," expressed Noah Marsico of White Haven.
Wednesday, the Shapiro administration announced an investment of more than $242 million on 32 different water infrastructure projects across the state.
One of the projects is in White Haven.
Aqua Pennsylvania received more than 4.4 million dollars in grants and loans.
That money will allow them to construct a new treatment facility to combat these potentially harmful chemicals.
Residents I spoke with are glad something is being done.
"I think what's important is that once we realize that it's harmful, and once we realize we can do something to reverse it or change it, that we are. And that's the important part," expressed Stuart.
In a statement to 28/22 news, Aqua Pennsylvania said in-part:
Aqua Pennsylvania is committed to providing safe, reliable drinking water to its customers. We have proactively worked for years to remove PFAS compounds from our drinking water, long before regulations were in place. Aqua Pennsylvania is dedicated to removing these "Forever chemicals" from drinking water.
Aqua Pennsylvania
While these filtration systems aren't up and running just yet, residents say it's a step in the right direction.
"I want to be healthy. I want my kids to be healthy, more importantly I want my grand-kids to be healthy. And if it's a forever chemical then it's going to affect every generation, and if we can take it out now, then the following generations will be healthier for it," added Stuart.
Aqua Pennsylvania says they plan to begin construction on the new facility later this summer and finish by June of 2026.
They say they don't expect any disruptions or inconveniences to the surrounding area.
