U.S. Navy to address private drinking wells for PFAS near Pensacola Naval Air Station
Having requested the permission of property owners, the Navy began sampling drinking water for PFAS, toxic chemicals linked to cancer.
'Once they get into the groundwater, they will move with the groundwater, and typically these were released on site near our airfields, and they'll move to the groundwater, and they can then move off the base into the private wells,' NAVFAC Environmental Restoration Manager, Robert Fisher said.
The Department of Defense set new policies in September of last year that prioritizes cleanup actions for federal drinking water. The Navy has begun testing the water and alerting homeowners whose private wells may be affected.
'Anybody above the DoD interim treatment standard, we're going to reach out to them and see if they will accept a whole house treatment system,' said Fisher. 'This particular one is a two-phase treatment system. It's carbon and resin, and together, those will remove those PFAS compounds from water from their wells.'
The Navy will cover all costs if homeowners choose the whole house treatment system. So far, no one in the Pensacola area has said no. The other option is to connect homes to the public water system.
Naval Captain Chandra Newman said the relationship between NAS Pensacola and the community has always been a priority.
'I am very proud and certainly very protective of our relationship with the community and so getting out here as the standards have changed in 2024, that we are getting back to readdress not only the homes that have already been tested, but the new area of homes that may require testing,' said Newman.
'We are prioritizing the homes that may have the highest level of impact to ensure that we get them connected to services or well filtration systems first and foremost. So, we will be here as long as we need to be,' she added.
Another Naval meeting will be held, at the same location, Tuesday morning from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. and then again Tuesday evening, from 5-7 p.m.
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