Human Interest - Bensalem Township

Report: Proposed ICE Detention Centers ‘Will Overwhelm’ Existing Infrastructure, State Says

Published

2 minutes ago

March 10, 2026

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A report from the Pennsylvania Capital-Star published under creative commons license CC BY-NC-ND 4.0. and written by Whitney Downard

The Shapiro administration stepped up its opposition to two proposed immigrant detention centers in Berks and Schuylkill counties Thursday, issuing administrative orders claiming that housing anyone at either location would violate state water regulations.

Five administrative orders sent through the state Department of Environmental Protection on Thursday assert that water and sewage cannot be supplied to the two warehouses, meaning the buildings can’t be occupied until the U.S. Department of Homeland Security finds a way to comply.

“Based on what the department has learned about DHS’s plans to convert two commercial warehouses into detention centers for 9,000 people, there are serious concerns about the environmental impacts of these actions. The conversion of warehouses to detention facilities risks harming the communities in and around Tremont and Upper Bern townships, overwhelming their sewage facilities and exceeding the available drinking water supply,” said DEP Secretary Jessica Shirley in a release.

ICE purchased the buildings in January with plans to open as early as November 30, 2026 — but the state said the federal agency hasn’t yet filed any permits to “significantly modify” existing water and wastewater infrastructure.

“Doubling the populations of these areas could drain drinking water sources and lead to polluted waterways from overwhelmed sewage facilities leaking raw waste into our streets and rivers. Just like anyone else, DHS needs to demonstrate its facilities comply with environmental standards,” Shirley added.

DEP: Water, sewage systems can’t handle the additional capacity

Last week, Gov. Josh Shapiro vowed to fight the facilities, located in Upper Bern Township in Berks County and Tremont Township in Schuylkill County. Initial plans from Immigration and Customs Enforcement indicate that the two warehouses will house 1,500 and 7,500 immigrants, respectively.

But the water and sewage systems in each location can’t accommodate those populations, the Shapiro administration claims.

In Upper Bern, the warehouse water system is designed for roughly 350 employees each using 35 gallons of water a day, for a maximum of 12,240 gallons per day.

Prisons and detention center water systems “should be designed” to provide two gallons of water per minute with a peak daily demand of 120 gallons per day per person, according to the state administrative orders.

In Upper Bern, this would require up to 180,000 gallons of water per day and produce between 112,500 and 225,000 gallons of sewage per day — more than maximum monthly flow under the entire township’s 2024 wastewater treatment plan, an amount that “will overwhelm” existing infrastructure.

The state said it has issued five emergency permits to the Schuylkill County Municipal Authority, which oversees Tremont’s water and sewage systems, since December 2025 to allow “bulk hauling of drinking water … created by the emergency drought conditions” in the area.

ICE’s detention plans would require up to 900,000 gallons of water per day, “or 90% of all available stored water in the Tremont Water System,” which would prevent it “from serving its current customers and providing water for fire protection.”

The state concludes that DHS must outline its plans to provide drinking water and sewage service within 20 days, noting that hauling water, tapping into wells or installing storage tanks also require permits. Last week, Shapiro warned that trucking in supplies could wear down local roads, many of which have only two lanes.

Orders to locals in Upper Bern, Tremont and the Schuylkill County Municipal Authority say that townships would need to redesign their sewage treatment plants and the authority cannot provide sewage service with portable toilets without permitting.

Related Topics:ICE Detention Centers Proposed ICE Detention Centers ‘Will Overwhelm’ Existing Infrastructure State Says

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Youthful Creativity Shines at 31st Annual High School Art Exhibition

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Education - Bensalem Township

Youthful Creativity Shines at 31st Annual High School Art Exhibition

Published

58 minutes ago

March 10, 2026

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Crowds like this one last year are expected to visit the 31st Annual High School Art Exhibition at BCCC’s Hicks Art Center Gallery. The show also includes a Congressional Art Competition. PHOTO CREDIT: Mel Evans

Which Bucks County high school student will have the honor of their artwork being displayed in the Cannon Tunnel of the U.S. Capitol for a year?

Bucks County Community College (BCCC) invites the public to the 31^st Annual High School Art Exhibition March 18 – April 5 in the Hicks Art Center Gallery, including an awards ceremony and reception on Sunday, March 29.

High school art teachers have selected their students’ best work for the exhibition, and for submission to the Congressional Art Competition, held in every congressional district each spring. The first-place winning artwork will be sent to Washington, D.C., to be displayed in the corridors of the Cannon Tunnel of the U.S. Capitol for a year, representing Pennsylvania’s 1st Congressional District.

Clifford Eberly, the College’s senior manager of galleries and exhibitions, says the show is an opportunity to see youthful ingenuity flourish.

“Now in my fifth year of working with high school instructors and their students for this annual exhibition, I have seen the breadth of astounding creativity from the county’s young artists, and it is truly inspiring,” said Eberly. “It is important for us to foster art and culture in our region while promoting the legacy of Bucks as a vital source of creative education.”

Submitted: BCCC

Isabel Steiner from Council Rock High School North won the 2025 1^st Congressional District High School Art Competition for “The Attic” (graphite on paper, 2024), which has been displayed in the Cannon Tunnel of the U.S. Capitol for the past year.

This year, the 31^st Annual High School Art Exhibition and Congressional Art Competition takes place from March 18 – April 5 at BCCC’s Hicks Art Center Gallery. A reception and ceremony will be held on March 29 from 12:30-3p p.m. in room 100, featuring an awards ceremony at 1 p.m. presented by Congressman Brian Fitzpatrick (R-01), who will announce the winning entry. The reception features free refreshments and an opportunity to meet the young artists and their instructors.

The Hicks Art Center Gallery is located on the campus at 275 Swamp Road in Newtown. Gallery hours are 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. Tuesday through Friday, and noon – 4 p.m. Saturday. The gallery is also open Sunday, March 29, from 12:30 – 3 p.m. for the reception and awards ceremony.

All events are free and open to the public. To learn more, email gallery@bucks.edu, call 215-968-8432 or click here to view online.

A visitor snaps a picture of a painting at last year’s High School Art Exhibition in the Hicks Art Center Gallery at BCCC. PHOTO CREDIT: Mel Evans

Human Interest - Bensalem Township

Falls Twp. BOS Officially Welcomes All to Reimagined Municipal Building

Published

3 hours ago

March 10, 2026

Joanne Ames

The Falls Township Board of Supervisors (BOS) held an open house, Monday evening, at the newly reimagined municipal building with a ribbon-cutting ceremony and tours led by the board and Township Manager John Shepherd.

The public was in attendance along with the Twp. mascot -Archie-. Additionally, Bucks County Commissioner Bob Harvie, a former Falls Supervisor Chairman, former Falls Supervisors Jim Prokopiak and Phil Szupka were also in attendance.

Credit: Falls Township

Falls is a second-class township, but Harvie quipped of the building: “This is definitely a first-class township building.”

The building reflects the township’s past and accommodates its future growth. Construction started in October 2023 and continued through February 2026. Reconstruction and expansion maximized the available space to meet each department’s needs and accommodate future expansions, said a Falls Twp. official.

Credit: Falls Township

The BOS held their first meeting in the new municipal building on Monday, March 2 with Pennsbury’s JROTC and Men of Harmony welcoming the Supervisors and residents.

The building now features brand-new mechanical, electrical, air conditioning, and plumbing systems. Energy-saving equipment and LED light fixtures have been installed throughout. This two-story, 61,056-square-foot building gives the police department more space by approximately 20 percent. It also features improvements to administration, code enforcement, fire marshal, finance, parks and recreation, police, clerks, tax collectors, and public works departments. It also features a transition from a public meeting room to a community room that can be used by residents and local groups. The municipal building also consists of shared conference rooms, incubator space for start-up businesses, support and amenity space. All municipal functions are conveniently located on the first floor, near the main entrance, for the convenience of seniors and other visitors with limited mobility. An elevator was installed to make accessing the second floor easier, authorities said.

Credit: Falls Township

This building is also more welcoming and easier to navigate, with an enhanced front vestibule and better signage, said an official.

The municipal building is located at 188 Lincoln Hwy in Fairless Hills.

Credit: Joanne Ames – Lower Bucks Source

Cops, Courts & Fire -Bensalem Township

NJ Man Has Aggravated Assault Charges of Police Held Over for Trial

Published

3 days ago

March 7, 2026

Jo Ames & Jeff Bohen

A Millville, New Jersey man accused of stealing a vehicle and subsequently striking a Bensalem Police officer last year, when attempting to flee a traffic stop had all of his charges held over for trial at preliminary hearing last week.

Late last month Magisterial District Judge Michael W. Gallagher ruled there was enough evidence presented by the Commonwealth to sustain two felony counts of aggravated assault, felony fleeing, felony theft and related offenses filed against Devit Sanchez of New Jersey.

According to the probable cause, on Friday, August 8, 2025, Bensalem Township Police conducted a stolen vesicle investigation at the Sunoco Gas Station, located at 1432 Street Road, The stolen vehicle was identified as a 2020 Acura ILX. white in color, bearing NIN97NMP, The vehicle is listed in NCIC as stolen out of Mount Laurel, NJ. Police were alerted to the stolen vehicle traveling in the area of Bensalem Twp.

Police saw the stolen vehicle at the gas pumps of the Sunoco Station and a male entering the driver’s seat.

Officers pulled behind the stolen vehicle af the gas pumps and another Bensalem officer pulled in front of it, and the driver reversed the allegedly stolen vehicle rammed a patrol car causing the officer’s head to hit the interior roof.

Sanchez then fled the Sunoco Station at a high rate of speed traveling Eastbound on Street Rd. Bensalem officers pursued the vehicle that fled onto Northbound I-95 exceeding speeds of over 100 mph. The pursuit was eventually terminated and the vehicle got away.

Surveillance footage from the Sunoco Gas Station was obtained by the Bensalem Police, court records show.

Investigators circulated the video surveillance to other police agencies and to the public depicting the stolen vehicle and driver. Through investigation, a suspect was developed, identified as Sanchez, according to the probable cause.

On October 7 , Police conducted an interview with Sanchez in which he allegedly admitted he was the driver of the stolen vehicle in this incident that hit an officer’s police car and fled.

An arrest warrant was issued on January 27 for Sanchez and he was arrested on Feb. 2.

Sanchez remains in County Jail unable to post bond although a county judge reduced his his bail to half of the original set, to 10 percent of $100,000.00

He is scheduled for a formal arraignment in Doylestown on March 13 and is legally represented by the Bucks County Public Defender’s Office.

No trial date has been set as of publication time