On Monday evening, Bristol Borough and Middletown both voted to oppose the proposed construction of Elcon’s hazardous waste water treatment facility near the Delaware River in Bucks County.
The two communities join other towns like Morrisville, Newtown Township, Tullytown, Upper Makefield and Yardley in opposing the proposed facility.
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Elcon, who plans to build a 22-acre treatment facility at a 33-acre site at 100 Dean Sievers Place in the Keystone Industrial Port Complex in Falls Township, is expected to submit Phase II plans to state officials for review this year.
Bristol Borough Council noted in their resolution that their community is downstream from the proposed facility and uses drinking water obtained from the Delaware River. The council said their resolution was “urging” the Falls Township Board of Supervisors adopt strict guidelines on new hazardous water facilities. The council also asked Falls’ officials to oppose the facility.
The Board of Supervisors in Middletown approved a resolution to oppose the Elcon facility. In their resolution, the board said it was the township’s “duty to protect and maintain the health, safety, and welfare of its citizens.” The document also raised concerns about the transportation of material for disposal on area roads and rail lines.
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Dr. Rengarajan Ramesh, a consultant for Elcon, said last summer that the proposed facility that could be built slightly more than a mile from the Delaware River is “clean, green and sustainable.” He also heralded the jobs the facility could bring and the fact that Elcon had made changes to their plan.
After a first failed attempt to build a facility in Falls, Elcon revised their plans and scrapped a pipeline that would dump treated waste water into the Delaware River. Their current plan would see the treated waste water evaporated after being placed into an indoor closed-loop system. The left over distilled water would be reused to cool equipment at the facility.
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Elcon officials have use input from concerned residents to make alterations to the plan, but still plan to build their facility in Bucks County.
Those concerned about the Elcon facility have staked signs in their yards and held various outreach sessions for their neighbors. In nearly every town, opponents to the plan have stepped before the governing bodies and spoke against Elcon.
