Public Water & Sewer Advisory Board

Purpose

The Board advises and educates the public and Board of Supervisors on issues involving wastewater and well water management. Wastewater is that which is discharged from a residence or building; then processed through an on-lot septic system (thereby recharging the aquifer below the ground), or through a sewer pipe leading to a wastewater treatment facility.

Utilizing technical data and public input the Board reviews and evaluates current on-lot system and well data provided by the Board of Health and Township. Upon analyzing the data, Board members prepare practical and economically feasible recommendations to the Board of Supervisors regarding wastewater management and to the Municipal Authority regarding water contamination.

Do we know what might be in the water we drink?

We all love how cold and fresh our well water is to drink but do we really know what “bad stuff” might also be in there. Your Township’s Septic Management Ordinance requires all residents with on-lot septic systems and private wells to have their well water tested for E.coli and coliform bacteria every three years. Currently there is no requirement to have your well water tested for any of the other potential containment except E.coli and coliform bacteria. If you have a private well and are currently hooked up to public sewer you are not required to have your well water tested. There are numerous other harmful contaminants that could be in your well water. Some of the more common items are PFOA, nitrates and arsenic. The EPA currently is very active in addressing PFOAs and it doesn’t appear to be a local issue in our Doylestown but nitrates and arsenic might be in your well water.

In order to determine if your current well might have some of these other contaminants, we recommend that you also check for these contaminants at least once every 5-10 years. There is a list of local testing companies and laboratories on the Doylestown Township website for your convenience.

Unfortunately our Local Board of Health is not currently providing this service due to COVID19 restrictions. We sincerely hope that this information is useful in addressing your continued safety.

Meetings

Meetings are held at 5:00 pm on the 3rd Thursday of the month at the Doylestown Township Municipal Building.

Members