The groundwater beneath the construction site and surrounding homes has been permanently contaminated by a Superfund site. A formal declaration in 2014 stated the area could never be fully remediated and the chemical plume would remain in the groundwater indefinitely. Any new construction poses risks of increasing contamination levels and expanding the plume. However, officials claim the work is safe without addressing health risks from vapors. Nearby residents have shown little concern over the issues. A similar contaminated site in Ohio saw improved results from engaged residents and uncorrupted oversight.

1. Deleted Article Commentary
Comment(s) from the following article were removed from the article's webpage in November, 2016:
http://www.montgomerynews.com/articles/2015/03/10/perkasie_news_herald/news/doc54ff3571eca826
05032610.txt
As this has happened numerous times over the past several years in response to public discussion about
the issues at hand, the comments were saved and are copied below.
Question from Just Juile:
I have heard this site is polluted from the old Gauge. What is being done to make sure this construction
doesn't allow leaching into our groundwater?
Answer from Anastasia Beaverhausen:
Julie,
The groundwater in the aquifers beneath Plant #2 and the surrounding homes is, unfortunately,
permanently destroyed. AMETEK has been under Superfund remediation since 1990, unbeknownst to
most of the surrounding general public, and in 2012 the area was declared “technically impracticable”
of ever being fixed. A formal covenant stating this was issued by the federal government in 2014,
which includes areas enclosed by, AND outside of, AMETEK's fencline. The underground chemical
plume that is present within this area's groundwater will never be able to be eradicated, which means
the land and the aquifers beneath it will never be restored to their pre-contamination state. Any ground
disturbance and new construction on land as severely contaminated as this facility poses a substantial
risk of increasing contaminant levels and the geographical area affected by the expansion of the
chemical plume. But if you ask those in charge, you will most definitely be told that “approvals were
granted and everything is fine..." and that "there are no adverse human heath risks related to this...” and
that “everything has been cleaned up to levels that are safe...” You know, the same things they said
about our drinking water for 20+ years.
And the fact that Sellersville's drinking water is now allegedly pumped in from Forest Park does not
erase all the risks associated with breathing this stuff in, which happens to those living on top of it
when the plume's volatile contaminants (TCE, PCE, vinyl chloride, etc.) vaporize into the air. But
again, Sellersville's leadership has never been concerned with any of this human health nonsense,
which works out great because the regulators don't seem to enforce compliance here either. Thankfully
the majority of the residents could not care less either way.
It's nice to know someone else out there does, though.
There is a similar situation in Ohio that shows how having uncorrupted regional regulatory entities,
commissions, and local government--coupled with residents who take action--actually produces results.
The contamination levels in that area, by the way, are less than those here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N8tXRg3-bEg
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