Officials from the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection briefed Shippensburg residents Thursday about trace amounts of contaminated water detected in Middle Spring Creek.

Limited amounts of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, commonly referred to as PFAS, were detected in the creek in August of 2023, according to environmental protection specialist Crystal Wolf.

Pennsylvania American Water first tested the samples before contacting the state’s Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) in 2024, which then sampled several homes within a half-mile radius of the creek. Levels of PFAS above the maximum contaminant limit were found in seven residential wells, Wolf said, and three homes have been supplied with gallon jugs of water since Oct. 14.

As the PFAS were detected, letters were sent to homes most likely to be in affected areas before expanding the testing zone. In the coming weeks, homes within an additional quarter-mile of the creek will be tested, but some homes have already been determined to be safe.

“The plan is to move concentrically out in circles around the worst of the [impacted] areas,” Wolf said.

Exposure to PFAS can lead to health problems like high cholesterol, increased risk of kidney and liver cancer and lower odds of becoming pregnant, according to the Illinois Department of Health. 

When asked by Shippensburg resident Tamela Trussell, DEP environmental cleanup manager Ben Thonus noted that impacted residents were tested for exposure to PFAS, but no specific medical agency is handling this case.

“We would like to know if there are any plans to evaluate the risks associated with” hunting, fishing and consuming food resources “from the stream and associated lateral ecosystems,” Middle Spring Watershed Association president and SU earth sciences professor Sean Cornell said.

Wolf clarified that further details about the exact cause of the PFAS contamination is unknown, as dealing with the immediate human impact continues to be DEP’s focus in this investigation.

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