State Lawmakers Call For Investigation Into Bristol Twp. Chemical Spill

State Sen. Santarsiero and State Rep. Tina Davis have sent a letter to the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection calling for an investigation into last month’s chemical spill in Bristol Township.

At least 8,100 gallons and up to 12,000 gallons of a latex-related chemical spilled from the Trinseo Altuglas facility on the Dow Chemical property off Veterans Highway (Route 413) into the Otter Creek and then into the Delaware River last month.

A pipe burst at the facility on the property has been reported to have caused the spill.

Federal, state, county, and local authorities responded to mitigate and clean up the spill.

The chemicals made their way from the Otter Creek into the Delaware River, which caused worry it would make its way into drinking water. However, there were no tests that showed the chemical made its way into drinking water in Bucks County or Philadelphia.

The two Democratic lawmakers from Lower Bucks County wrote in their letter that it is “critical that there are both real-time monitoring and detection systems for chemical plants, especially those, like the Facility, that are in close proximity to drinking water sources.”

Below is the full text of the letter from the lawmakers:

Dear Acting Secretary Negrin:

We are writing to express our deep concern about the chemical spill that occurred in Bristol Township at the Alluglas LLC Chemical Plant, owned by Trinseo (the “Facility”), and to underscore the need for increased monitoring of this and other sites like it.

On Friday. March 24, 2023, more than 8.000 gallons of acrylic latex polymer were spilled into Otter Crack in Bristol Township, Bucks County, which then flowed into the Delaware River. The spill went undetected for over 30 minutes. Early information suggests that the illegal discharge was a result of a ruptured pipe at the site. Apparently, this was not the first time that hazardous substances were released from the Facility into Otter Creek and the Delaware in violation of Altuglas’s discharge permits. According to the Philadelphia Inquirer, over the past decade, both the EPA and the U.S. Coast Guard have detected releases of acrylates from the Facility.

The Delaware River is the source of drinking water for millions of Pennsylvanians. Illegal discharges like the one at the Facility on March 24 pose a direct risk to their health and safety. Moreover, the release of hazardous substances into Otter Creek and the Delaware River threatens the ecosystem of the entire region.

It is critical that there are both real-time monitoring and detection systems for chemical plants, especially those, like the Facility, that are in close proximity to drinking water sources. There also needs to be regular and rigorous inspections of pipes and related infrastructure at plants like the Facility.

We respectfully request that the DEP conduct a thorough investigation into the circumstances that led to this illegal discharge and impose the appropriate penalties. We further ask that the Department require all necessary remedial action, and develop monitoring, detection, and inspection policies at the Facility to ensure spill like this do no occur in the future.

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