"Precious resource needs comprehensive oversight"

Intelligencer editorial, September 3, 2010:

Residents who rely on shallow (generally speaking, less than 100 feet) private wells for their water have long been familiar with the anxiety brought on by extended periods without rain.


Despite this peril, however, many folks in rural areas have had no problems with their wells for decades. They've learned through experience to adjust their water usage and thus keep their well pumps pumping in times of drought.

What they can't do is compensate for a rapid drop in the groundwater level - the type of drop a few residents of West Schwenkmill Road in East Rockhill say has been precipitated by water withdrawals by the Perkasie Borough Authority, which supplies water to more than 4,000 households in East Rockhill and neighboring municipalities. Five of the authority's six wells are in East Rockhill. . . . [One resident] had to spend almost $10,000 to have a new deep well drilled after his shallow well ran dry. . . . Another neighbor reportedly had to drill a new well recently, and three others are in the same boat as . . . [their neighbor who reported that his well is not in good shape]. They all believe the authority's wells have something to do with their problem.

Authority manager Gary Winton doesn't think his agency's wells have any effect on the West Schwenkmill Road wells. "What occurred is we haven't had any measurable precipitation since April," he said, and noted that mostly shallow wells have been affected. That doesn't explain why dry conditions in past years did not cause what's happening to those wells now, according to the residents. Or why the drought, which isn't isolated on Schwenkmill Road, hasn't spawned widespread reports of failed shallow wells elsewhere. . . .

The authority already monitors about 50 private wells that surround its system. Winton said a few West Schwenkmill wells will be added to the list, and the authority's hydrogeologists will be doing some additional groundwater monitoring. He assured affected residents that the authority would fix any problems it finds and make restitution to those whose wells have run dry if the agency is to blame.

That's all well and good. But what's needed not only in East Rockhill but everywhere that water problems crop up is some sort of comprehensive investigation conducted by an independent agency, county or even regional, tasked with just that responsibility. Underground water supplies do not respect municipal boundaries; "local" monitoring and remediation may not be enough in all cases.

The Bucks County Planning Commission has taken a keen interest in the region's water supply and recognizes that land development is inextricably tied to the discharge and recharge of water supplies, especially groundwater.

As development continues, albeit at a more measured pace than in the past, more and more people will be relying on limited groundwater, delivered either through municipal systems or on-site private wells. An umbrella government agency should exist to keep an eye on the big picture to help head off trouble and step in when it does arise.