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Former Naval Weapons Industrial Reserve Plant Calverton

Environmental Restoration Program Public Website

The Navy is requesting permission to sample drinking water obtained from drinking water wells within a sampling area near Former NWIRP Calverton to test for certain per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, commonly known as PFAS.

The Navy is requesting permission from property owners to sample drinking water wells within the sampling area. Property owners with a drinking water well in the sampling area may call 800-906-9339 to schedule a sampling appointment.

If your drinking water is provided by Riverhead Water District, we do not need to sample your drinking water.

To learn more about the DoD’s response to PFAS in private drinking water wells, the November 19, 2024 DoD PFAS Outreach Event recording can be found here.

 

Introduction

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are a family of thousands of different chemicals which have been widely used in industrial and consumer products since the 1950s. PFAS are man-made and have been used in many household and industrial products because of their stain- and water-repellent properties. PFAS are now present virtually everywhere in the world. The Navy and Department of Defense (DoD) have developed policies to address past releases of PFAS at installations nationwide.

The most common activity that could have resulted in the historical release of PFAS to the environment at Former NWIRP Calverton (Figure 1) is the use of firefighting foam (specifically, aqueous film-forming foam, or AFFF) for testing, training, firefighting, and other life-saving emergency responses. Because of this historical use, PFAS are present in the groundwater at Former NWIRP Calverton and may be present in nearby drinking water wells that are located in the direction that the groundwater flows away from Former NWIRP Calverton.

On June 26, 2024, the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued a final National Primary Drinking Water Regulation (NPDWR) establishing nationwide drinking water standards for certain PFAS under the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA). The rule applies to public drinking water systems. Operators of public drinking water systems regulated by the NPDWR have five years to meet these standards. The DoD’s September 2024 memorandum, “Prioritization of Department of Defense Cleanup Actions to Implement the Federal Drinking Water Standards for Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances under the Defense Environmental Restoration Program,” describes DoD’s plans to incorporate the levels in EPA’s drinking water rule into DoD’s ongoing PFAS cleanups and prioritize actions to address private drinking water wells with the highest levels of PFAS from DoD activities.

Table 1 presents the DoD levels for PFAS in private drinking water wells. The DoD’s September 2024 memorandum can be found here. To learn more about the DoD’s September 2024 memorandum, the November 19, 2024 DoD PFAS Outreach Event can be found here.


The Navy continues to follow the policy it issued in June 2016 to conduct investigations at installations where there has been a known or suspected release of PFAS to the environment.

Private Drinking Water Well Sampling near Former NWIRP Calverton

Certain PFAS have been detected in groundwater at Former NWIRP Calverton above the DoD levels (Figure 2) for PFAS in drinking water wells. The Navy also recently collected additional information about groundwater flow at Former NWIRP Calverton. As a result, a sampling area has been established 1 mile in the direction that groundwater flows away from the locations of these detections. The Navy is offering sampling to all property owners whose property is within the sampling area (Figure 2) and whose drinking water is supplied by a private drinking water well.

Additional private drinking water well sampling occurred near Former NWIRP Calverton begining in January 2025. Table 2 presents the results of the 2025 private drinking water well sampling to date.

Table 2. Former NWIRP Calverton - Private Drinking Water Well Results Summary as of [April 2, 2025]1
Number of Wells Sampled Number of wells with no detections of PFAS Number of wells with detections of PFAS below DoD levels Number of wells with detections of PFAS at or above DoD levels
30 13 17 0

1See Table 3 for 2016-2020 results.

 

Figure 1: Location Map of Former NWIRP Calverton
Figure 1

At this time, the Navy is requesting permission to sample private drinking water wells located in the sampling area (Figure 2). The Navy is also requesting permission to resample private drinking water wells located in the sampling area that were previously sampled by the Navy. Records indicate that some properties within the sampling area are provided drinking water by Riverhead Water District. If your drinking water is provided by Riverhead Water District or another public water system, the Navy does not need to sample your drinking water. Property owners and tenants should contact Riverhead Water District with any questions regarding its treatment and testing of drinking water.

Figure 2: Private Drinking Water Well Sampling Area
Figure 2

Actions Based on Private Drinking Water Sampling Results

The preliminary results from the private drinking water well sampling near Former NWIRP Calverton are expected approximately 30 days after collecting the samples. The Navy provides notification to the property owners and tenants of their drinking water results and any follow-up actions, if needed.

The Navy will provide bottled water for drinking and cooking to any property owner or tenant in the sampling area whose drinking water well contains PFOA and/or PFOS, individually or combined, above 70 parts per trillion (ppt) and will continue to provide bottled water until an enduring solution is implemented. If the Navy samples your drinking water well, and PFAS in your drinking water well are at or above the DoD levels, the Navy will provide an enduring solution, such as a whole house treatment system or connection to public water supply, as soon as possible.

2016- 2020 Private Drinking Water Well Sampling

Between 2016 and 2020, the Navy sampled private drinking water wells based on information that was available at that time about potential PFAS releases at Former NWIRP Calverton. The 2016-2020 sampling area, shown in Figure 2, was established 1 mile in the direction that groundwater flows away from the potential release areas shown in Figure 3. Table 3 provides a summary of the results of the sampling. Table 4 presents the PFAS results. There were no detections of PFOA and/or PFOS above 70 ppt, the Navy’s action level at the time. The Navy has confirmed that there were no detections at or above the DoD levels for certain PFAS in drinking water.

Table 3. Former NWIRP Calverton – 2016-2020 Private Drinking Water Well Results Summary
Number of Wells Sampled Number of wells with detections of PFOA and/or PFOS below 70 ppt* Number of wells with detections of PFAS below the DoD levels Number of wells with no detections of PFOA or PFOS Number of wells with detections of PFAS at or above the DoD levels
16 13 13 3 0

*70 ppt for PFOA and PFOS, individually or combined, was the Navy’s action level at the time of this sampling.

Table 4. Former NWIRP Calverton – 2016-2020 Private Drinking Water Well Results
Sample PFOA (ppt) PFOS (ppt) PFOA+PFOS (ppt) PFNA (ppt) PFHxS (ppt) HFPO-DA (ppt) PFBS Hazard Index
1 ND ND ND ND ND ND ND NC
2 ND ND ND ND ND ND ND NC
3 ND ND ND ND ND ND ND NC
4 0.23 J ND 0.23 J ND ND ND ND NC
5 0.44 J 0.36 J 0.8 J ND NS ND 0.27 NC
6 1.37 J 0.32 J 1.69 J ND 0.24 J ND 0.31 0.02
7 2.09 J 1.85 J 3.94 J ND 2.05 J ND 0.33 0.21
8 3.84 0.15 J 3.99 J ND 0.38 J ND 3.37 0.04
9 3.51 0.48 J 3.99 J ND 0.68 J ND 0.59 0.07
10 4.36 0.26 J 4.62 J ND 0.38 J ND 0.5 0.04
11 4.61 J 0.31 J 4.92 J ND 0.45 J ND 0.43 0.05
12 4.53 1.46 J 5.99 J 0.21 J 1.82 J ND 0.66 0.20
13 6.65 J 0.65 J 7.30 J ND 1.45 J ND 0.55 0.15
14 7.14 0.17 J 7.31 J ND 0.36 ND 0.48 0.04
15 ND 7.50 J 7.50 J NS NS NS ND NC
16 11.2 5.63 16.83 ND 0.35 J ND 0.3 0.04

HI - Hazard Index. Sum of HFPO-DA, PFBS, PFNA, and PFHxS ratios, where there are two or more detects. Calculated in accordance with USEPA, 2024.
ND = not detected
NC = hazard index not calculated because no PFAS were detected
NS = not sampled
J = laboratory estimated value

Identification of PFAS Releases at Former NWIRP Calverton

A PFAS Preliminary Assessment (PA) was finalized in 2021 (Tetra Tech, 2021) that identified areas where releases of PFAS may have occurred. Based on the results of the PFAS PA, a PFAS Site Inspection (SI) was completed (Tetra Tech, 2023). Sample collection and analysis of groundwater, surface water, and soil were conducted from January 2019 to March 2022. PFAS were found in groundwater and soil at Former NWIRP Calverton. The PFAS Areas of Concern (AOCs) investigated at Former NWIRP Calverton are depicted on Figure 3; Table 4 lists the release areas investigated during the SI along with the recommended path forward. The Navy will continue investigating PFAS at Former NWIRP Calverton following the CERCLA process and will evaluate if actions are needed.

Figure 3: Areas of Concern
Figure 3

Table 4: NWIRP Area of Concern Descriptions and Current Status
Description Area Of Concern (AOC) Site Number CERCLA Investigation Phase Current Status (as of January 2025)
Former Fire Training Area N/A Site 2 RI RI Data Gap Investigation Sampling/Work Plan: In NYSDEC review Fieldwork: November 2024
Aircraft Paint Hangars AOCs 01, 02, & 03 Site 17 RI RI Planning Phase Fieldwork: Initiating in 2026
Noise Suppression House AOC 04 Site 14 RI Sampling/Work Plan: NYSDEC submittal November 2024 Fieldwork: Target Summer 2025
Fuel Storage Terminal AOC 05 Site 15 RI Sampling/Work Plan: NYSDEC Submittal October 2024 Fieldwork: Target Winter 2024
Aircraft Development Bldg. & Hangars AOC 06 TBD RI Additional fieldwork planned
Flight Emergency Shelter AOC 07 & AOC 08 Site 16 RI Data Gap RI Data Gap Investigation Sampling/Work Plan: In NYSDEC Review Fieldwork: Target November 2024
Jet Fuel Spill AOC 09 N/A NFI at this time N/A
F-111 Crash Site AOC 10 N/A NFI at this time N/A
EF-111 Crash Site AOC 11 Site 18 RI RI Planning Phase Fieldwork: Initiating in 2027
Northeast Pond AOC 12 N/A NFI at this time N/A
F-14 Crash Site AOC 13 N/A NFI at this time N/A
Leased Fire Training Area AOC 14 N/A NFI at this time N/A
Compass Calibration Area AOC 15 Site 19 RI Sampling/Work Plan: In Navy Review Fieldwork: Target Fall 2025

RI - Remedial Investigation
N/A – Not Applicable
NFI - No Further Investigation

Former NWIRP Calverton Private Drinking Water Well Sampling Documents

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