18990_Authority_Feb_2026

municipalauthorities.org │ 13 Northampton Bucks County Municipal Authority (NBCMA) is facing the same triple challenge confronting water and wastewater utilities across the country: emerging contaminants such as PFAS, an increasingly complex regulatory environment, and aging infrastructure that must be renewed for future generations. What makes NBCMA different is how it addresses these challenges together —through long-range planning, the aggressive pursuit of outside funding, and a commitment to protecting public health while keeping rates as stable as possible. Protecting Public Health: NBCMA’s PFAS Response Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS)—often called “forever chemicals” because they break down very slowly in the environment—have been detected in groundwater throughout our region. They are linked to historic military and industrial activities, including the use of firefighting foams. NBCMA has been working for years to address PFAS in local drinking water supplies. Key elements of the Authority’s PFAS strategy include: • Early testing and monitoring Before federal enforceable standards were finalized, NBCMA was proactively sampling its wells and tracking PFAS concentrations. This allowed the Authority to understand where contamination was present and to prioritize the most affected sources. • Taking compromised wells offline Where testing indicated PFAS levels of concern, NBCMA removed those wells from service or reduced their use— even before regulations required it. The goal was simple: to ensure that customers received water that met or exceeded the most protective standards under consideration. • Designing and constructing treatment facilities NBCMA moved forward with multi-phase capital projects to design advanced treatment systems at affected well sites. These projects include PFAS-removal technologies, sized and designed to meet stringent long-term limits, not just today’s requirements. • Securing outside funding to protect ratepayers Recognizing that PFAS treatment is expensive, NBCMA aggressively pursued grants, low-interest loans, and responsible-party funding. This has included: ƒ Cooperative agreements and funding from the U.S. Navy for contamination associated with historic military activities. ƒ PENNVEST grants and low-interest loans to design and construct new treatment facilities and related infrastructure. Continued on page 54. T ackling The T riple c hallenge : i nfrasTrucTure , r egulaTions , and e Merging c onTaMinanTs By Michael Sullivan, Executive Director, Northampton Bucks County Municipal Authority