In a news release from Fairchild Air Force Base on July 28, it was announced that 50 residential wells were tested from the north and south of the base. Twenty-one of them had Perfluorooctanesulfonate (PFOS) and Perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) concentrations above the EPA lifetime Health Advisory which is 70 parts per trillion.
Officials from the Civil Engineer Center from the Air Force conducted face-to-face notifications to let the residents know if their wells were affected. Those houses that tested above acceptable levels will have an option to start receiving bottle waters from the Air Force while a long-term solution is being worked out.
These results were preliminary from phase three of water sampling being conducted.
“We will continue our goal to follow through with our neighbors to provide the information they rightfully deserve,” Col. Ryan Samuelson, 92nd Air Refueling Wing Commander said in the release. “We remain committed to working together with our community partners and Air Force Civil Engineer Center to provide a community-wide solution.”
While the southern-tested wells did not detect for PFOS/PFOA, 19 wells were also found to have concentrations below the EPA Health Advisory level. The Air Force Civil Engineer Center has gotten permission from the residents to continue testing the wells to make sure they stay below the appropriate levels.
The residents were notified of the potential for PFOS/PFOA contamination earlier this month when the Air Force requested to sample their wells after on-base testing near the northern fence line revealed three of nine base wells had concentrations above the EPA levels.
More information regarding the Air Force’s contaminant testing can be found at http://www.fairchild.af.mil.
Grace Pohl can be reached at [email protected].
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