Three of our elected representatives now say they’re taking the first step to secure funding for the Milford Aquifer

Dear Friends of the Milford Aquifer and Community Leaders:

Today, Tuesday, March 1: I just heard back from a staffer at Senator Pat Toomey’s D.C. Office. He said that he will coordinate with Toomey’s Wilkes-Barre office on this issue. So now we have all three of our Washington D.C. representatives, Senator Casey, Senator Toomey and House Representative Matt Cartwright, taking that first step in securing funding to permanently protect the Milford Aquifer/Springs. I am waiting for the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection to call back.

This is very exciting news and means that the “wheels are turning” to finally solve this 56-year-old problem. Our aim is to break the cycle of developers against the community. This conflict arises almost every decade or so around this sensitive aquifer area. This has been the aspirational goal of Friends of the Milford Aquifer since day one.

Having mostly succeeded on the local level, except for a few key holdouts, we are now proceeding to the second stage of our protection mission: the funding stage. Like I have said before, almost all the pieces are in place to succeed in our mission. The money is available. We have the federal infrastructure bill, the Delaware River Watershed Conservation Fund administered by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, various state programs, along with a variety private funding sources.

Getting positive feedback from all our D.C. representatives is very encouraging news. When we hear back from these offices with any new developments, I will keep you apprised.

PS: Access to clean drinking water is a human right, a Pennsylvania constitutional right, and a social justice and moral issue. It is scientifically, economically and politically sound, and mostly it is practical and just plain common sense.

Having people selling known aquifer land on the open market as “prime commercial property” is misleading and goes counter to the future health and safety of our community.

Vito DiBiasi

Friends of the Milford Aquifer

vdibiasi54@gmail.com