A Franklin Township resident is urging supervisors to take a stand on the use of biosolid sludge applied to local farms.

Jill Renfrew of Pohopoco Drive asked the board last week to support state House Bill 1116, which would require the Department of Environmental Protection to test biosolids for PFAS — known as “forever chemicals.”

“There’s been a lot of talk about biosolid use here,” Renfrew said. “I just want to ask the board to support a bill that would direct the DEP to test those biosolids.

“Forever chemicals are the things that get into our environment and then stay around for a long time. There’s proven studies that they appear in everyone’s bodies; 95% of Americans have some PFAS in their bodies.

“The DEP regulates the biosolids, and they do a good job as far as writing up a regulation. They don’t, however, enforce their regulation.”

Renfrew said she spoke with an individual from DEP’s regional office in Wilkes-Barre, who said that because of budget cuts, they haven’t been enforcing, and so they’re relying 100% on the self-reporting that the companies do.

“So what we’ve got is biosolids being applied, regulations that we don’t know whether they’re being followed or not, and on top of that the regulations don’t address the PFAS in the biosolids,” she said. “So we don’t even know what the level of the PFAS in the biosolids that are going on our fields.

“If you remember, Palmerton has got problems with their wells because of the PFAS; they’re showing up in their wells, making them unusable. We, as residents, need our (state) Rep. Doyle Heffley to support the bill, HB 1116, that just asks the DEP to study the PFAS in biosolids.

“It isn’t about regulating the biosolids, because they’re already regulated through DEP ordinances or laws already, but there’s no study about the PFAS that are in the biosolids themselves, so we don’t know what’s going on, what’s leaching out, where it’s ending up.”

Renfrew said she’s been in contact with Heffley’s office, and has also been in contact with the official who is the head of the committee where the bill sits now.

“What I would like is for the Franklin Township supervisors, as representatives of the community and the residents, in your capacity to watch over us, to write to Heffley and say, ‘be a cosponsor for this,’ help get this bill passed so at least we know what is in the biosolids that are being applied,” she said. “Biosolids can still be used on farms; right now what we’re trying to do is just get an opportunity to know what’s in the biosolids as far as the PFAS is concerned.”

Renfrew said the house bill “simply talks about studying the biosolids for their content as far as PFAS are concerned. I would say there is a grassroots community effort to address the use of biosolids as well.”

Board Chairman Jason Frey told Renfrew the township has a book that has a map of where they can and where they cannot spread.

Renfrew said she also worries about Sawmill Creek and Pohopoco Creek, as they’re both in the drainage from the fields that are over there.

“There are a lot of concerns about the use of biosolids in general, but again, at this point, all I really want to do is get some testing done,” she said. “Let’s get that going first, and then if we follow up on is there anything that we can do to get some kind of testing being done, because the state’s not doing it.

“We need to have some kind of testing done on a regular basis. But first, we need to know about the PFAS.”

Township solicitor Tom Nanovic suggested that the board put a motion on next month’s agenda to have a letter written to Heffley’s office to sponsor the bill.