groundwater contamination

Jacksonville NAS is an active installation facing a variety of contamination issues both in the past, and in the present. The EPA placed the site on the Superfund program’s National Priorities List in 1989 because of contaminated soil, sediment, groundwater and surface water. More recently, the problem of high levels of PFAS in water at the base has come to the fore.

The following is a recent article about military contamination and the work by advocates…

We found the following summary of VA health registry programs and services regarding most…

At toxic cleanup sites across the country, environmental agencies have allowed groundwater contamination to go untreated and slowly diminish over time — a strategy that saves money for polluters but could cost taxpayers dearly and jeopardize drinking water supplies.

Located just west of Cheyenne, F.E. Warren Air Force Base is a 6000+ acre facility that used to serve as an intercontinental ballistic missile operations base, among other uses. Past operations and disposal practices contaminated soil and groundwater with hazardous chemicals on base and at some adjacent private residences.

Recently, we received a request to look closer into the effects of chemical contamination exposures and fertility. Two chemicals of note, TCE and PFOS, were mentioned. We found some interesting studies/research on both (some provided by readers) that documents some of the threats of chemical exposure to fertility. More importantly, they also bear out a couple of already widely held beliefs about the transferability of these toxins from generation to generation.

Marine Corps Air Station Yuma (MCAS Yuma) occupies approximately 3,000 acres within the City and County of Yuma, Arizona. The City of Yuma, the nearest municipality, is located approximately one mile northwest of the Station. Both the City and the Station obtain their drinking water from the Colorado River through an irrigation canal. The City does not use groundwater for drinking water purposes. The nearest domestic groundwater well is approximately 0.8 mile downgradient from the Station.

A newly released report from the US Dept of Health and Human Services highlights the dangers faced by so many for decades aboard US Military installations. It now officially lists Trichloroethylene, or TCE as a human carcinogen.

PFOA/PFOS are starting to emerge as a potential contaminant for military bases. Many military bases have used firefighting foams that include these chemicals, adding yet another potential health hazard to the toxic groundwater contamination cocktail on bases across the country.

The El Toro Marine Corps Air Station covers approximately 4,700 acres. Commissioned in 1943, it supported the Fleet Marine Forces in the Pacific Ocean, serving as the major west coast jet fighter facility. The Station was decommissioned as an active base in 1999 under the Base Realignment and Closure Act. To date the golf course parcel has been transferred under the Department of the Interior’s Land for Parks program and approximately 2800 acres have been sold through an auction and transferred in part to Heritage Fields LLC. Redevelopment efforts are on-going.