Goose Creak Leak
by Kyle Hudson
“At 12:20 pm on Saturday, February 28, 2026 West Chester Borough was notified by numerous sources of a ‘milky white’ substance in Goose Creek,” stated a press release issued by the borough on March 2nd. The statement went on to include, “[The borough’s] Public Works Director coordinated the first response and notified leadership of West Goshen Township and West Chester Borough. The source of the illicit discharge was identified by 12:45pm as an industrial site in West Goshen Township near Henderson High School.”
The industrial site has since been identified as Atmos Technologies, a waste management company located in West Goshen. The company was formed in 2021 following the merger between Rusmar Incorporated and Crowley chemical company. It was then purchased by Texas-based Insight Equity in 2024. We reached out to Atmos Technologies and spoke with a customer service representative, but received no direct response. However, in a statement released to ABC and NBC news, the company claimed “the product itself is nonhazardous, non-toxic, and fully biodegradable,” and that “the material breaks down naturally and is not expected to have any long-term impact on local wildlife or the ecosystem.”
Robyn Briggs, regional communications manager for the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (PADEP), provided an account of the incident:
“Long Duration Foam/Chlorinated water entered a stormwater inlet on ATMOS Technologies property and discharged into Goose Creek. A failure in a process tank at ATMOS Technologies, located within the building, released approximately 4,000 gallons of chlorinated water. The chlorinated water overwhelmed a containment pit that also contained some residual of long duration foam and conveyed the material to a storm sewer inlet that discharges to the creek. DEP and West Chester Borough stopped this discharge into Goose Creek on Saturday, and DEP has overseen the cleanup in the days since.”
A ‘containment pit” is an industry term for in-ground storage of oils or other Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs). No information has been provided on what chemicals, if any, were present in the affected containment pit, meaning it is currently unclear if any chemicals other than water, chlorine, and Long Duration Foam AC-645 entered Goose Creek. We asked the PADEP if any substances were being stored in the affected containment pit but have not yet received a response.
President of the Goose Creek Alliance, Mike Dunn, informed us fish have died as a result of the spill, and foam has been seen miles downstream. “We will be aggressively pursuing environmental justice from the perpetrators of this discharge. That includes advocating for full accountability, meaningful penalties, and a legally enforceable restoration plan that ensures this type of incident does not happen again,” said Dunn in a statement issued by the Goose Creek Alliance.
West Chester Borough shared more information about the chemical involved in a follow-up statement issued on March 3rd which stated “the material released was a combination of chlorinated water and a manufactured product known as Long Duration Foam AC-645. This product is widely used as temporary barrier to control dust, odors, and VOC emissions at hazardous waste sites, landfills, and excavation sites.”
The safety data sheet for Long Duration Foam AC-645, the chemical that spilled into Goose Creek, is available on our social media and provides additional info about the substance. Unfortunately, much of the data is missing. According to Dr. Megan Fork, chief scientist of the Goose Creek Alliance, “As an environmental scientist, my first stop when evaluating a chemical is the Safety Data Sheet, or SDS, the international standard for communicating risks to people and ecosystems. But when I located the SDS for Long Duration Foam AC-645, I was met with line after line of information ‘not available.’ This is not an oversight.”
Dr. Fork called the lack of information a “predictable outcome” as she further explained how chemical safety regulations function in the United States.
“Under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA), companies are not required to disclose the full contents of proprietary chemical mixtures. They are also not required to provide comprehensive safety data for new products before those products enter commerce. In practice, this means chemicals are often used widely for decades before we understand their risks and we only test them when something goes wrong over and over.”
At this time, PADEP does not know of impact to any private wells in the area. However, officials urge residents and pets to avoid Goose Creek until this is resolved and clean up operations have been completed. If you encounter dead or injured fish or animals which may be related to this incident, contact PADEP at 800-541-2050.