The Navy and Marine Corps are requesting property owner permission to sample certain private drinking water wells near Marine Corps Base (MCB) Camp Lejeune. The sampling is intended to address per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS, in the wells that may be the result of PFAS released to groundwater at MCB Camp Lejeune.
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Property owners with drinking water wells in the sampling area may individually call 1-866-622-2562 to schedule a sampling appointment. Appointments are currently being scheduled between the hours of 8:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m., beginning in April 2026 (additional times available upon request).
If you have questions about the drinking water sampling, please email:
CL_NR_PFAS_Questions@usmc.mil or call and leave a detailed message at 1-866-622-2562.
A Navy or Marine Corps representative will return your call.
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OPEN HOUSE PUBLIC MEETING
PRIVATE DRINKING WATER WELL SAMPLING FOR PFAS NEAR MCB CAMP LEJEUNE
April 29, 2026
Any time between 11:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. or
Any time between 5:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m.
Hilton Garden Inn, Jacksonville, 1016 Jacksonville Pkwy, Jacksonville, NC 28546
The Navy and Marine Corps are hosting two Open House Public Meetings with support from the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality, United States Environmental Protection Agency Region 4 (EPA), and North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services. Representatives from these agencies will be available at the Open House to provide additional information and answer questions.
For additional information about the Open House or if you have questions about the private drinking water well sampling, please send an email to CL_NR_PFAS_Questions@usmc.mil, or call and leave a detailed message at 1-866-622-2562. A Navy or Marine Corps representative will return your email or phone call.
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Welcome to the Navy and Marine Corps page for PFAS at MCB Camp Lejeune
Here you will find information about:
Introduction
Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are a family of thousands of different compounds that have been used since the 1950s in many household and industrial products because of their stain- and water- repellent properties. PFAS are now present virtually everywhere in the world because of the large amounts that have been manufactured and used. Once these compounds are released, many of them tend to stay in the environment for a very long time. The Navy, Marine Corps, and the Department of War (DoW), have developed policies to address past releases of PFAS, at DoW installations nationwide.
The most common activity that may have caused historical releases of PFAS to the environment at MCB Camp Lejeune (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. Due to this historical activity, PFAS are present in the groundwater on the base and may also be present in nearby private drinking water wells located in the direction that groundwater flows away from the base.
Figure 1. Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune
On April 26, 2024, the EPA published a final National Primary Drinking Water Regulation (NPDWR) establishing nationwide drinking water standards under the Safe Drinking Water Act for certain PFAS in public drinking water systems. Operators of public drinking water systems regulated by the NPDWR have until April 2029 to meet these standards. In September 2024, the DoW published “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,” which describes the DoW’s plans to incorporate the EPA’s drinking water regulation into DoW’s ongoing PFAS response actions and prioritize the actions to address private drinking water wells with the highest levels of PFAS from historical DoW activities.
Table 1 presents the DoW PFAS Interim Action Levels for Private Drinking Water Wells and EPA NPDWR Levels. The DoW’s September 2024 policy memorandum can be found here.
Table 1. EPA NPDWR Levels and DoW PFAS Interim Action Levels for Private Drinking Water Wells
| PFAS |
EPA NPDWR Level (Public Water) |
DoW PFAS Interim Action Level for Private Drinking Water Wells1 |
| perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) |
4 parts per trillion (ppt) |
12 ppt |
| perfluorooctane sulfonic acid (PFOS) |
4 ppt |
12 ppt |
| perfluorononanoic acid (PFNA) |
10 ppt |
30 ppt |
| perfluorohexane sulfonic acid (PFHxS) |
10 ppt |
30 ppt |
| hexafluoropropylene oxide dimer acid (HFPO-DA or GenX) |
10 ppt |
30 ppt |
| hazard index for mixture of at least two of PFHxS, PFNA, HFPO-DA, and perfluorobutane sulfonic acid (PFBS) |
1 (no units) |
3 (no units) |
1These levels are based on current EPA NPDWR levels. If EPA updates applicable requirements, DoW will review and update its policy as appropriate.
Private Drinking Water Well Sampling near MCB Camp Lejeune
The Navy and Marine Corps detected certain PFAS in groundwater at MCB Camp Lejeune, including the Midway Park Fire Station and Stone Bay Fire Station (Figure 1). As a result of the detections at these sites, sampling areas (Figures 2 and 3) were established one mile in the direction that groundwater flows away from the sites.
Figure 2. Sampling Area near Midway Park Fire Station
Figure 3. Sampling Area near Stone Bay Fire Station
2026 Private Drinking Water Well Sampling
At this time, the Navy and Marine Corps are requesting property owner permission to sample private drinking water wells located in the sampling areas depicted in Figures 2 and 3. If your drinking water is provided by Onslow Water and Sewer Authority (ONWASA), or the City of Jacksonville, the Navy and Marine Corps are not requesting to sample your drinking water.
The samples will be sent to an accredited, independent laboratory. The laboratory will follow EPA-approved methods to analyze for the presence of certain PFAS. The laboratory will then provide the Navy and Marine Corps with “preliminary” results. Those preliminary results are then validated for quality assurance. Once the results are validated, the Navy and Marine Corps will provide the results to property owners and tenants, approximately three months after sampling.
Actions Based on Private Drinking Water Sampling Results
The laboratory provides the preliminary results from the private drinking water well sampling typically within approximately 30 days after collecting the samples. Upon receipt of the preliminary results, the Navy and Marine Corps will compare the preliminary results to the DoW PFAS Interim Action Levels for Private Drinking Water Wells (Table 1) and notify property owners and tenants (if present) if their drinking water results exceed the DoW PFAS Interim Action Levels for Private Drinking Water Wells and if any follow-up actions are needed.
The next steps are then determined based on the results, as shown in Figure 4.
Figure 4. Actions Based on Private Drinking Water Sampling Results
The Navy and Marine Corps will address PFAS in private drinking water wells in keeping with DoW policy:
PFAS at or above the DoW PFAS Interim Actions Levels for Private Drinking Water Wells (Table 1). The Navy and Marine Corps will work individually with property owners to implement enduring solutions. Alternatives for enduring solutions may include connections to public water systems or installation of a drinking water treatment system. For any drinking water wells with PFOA and PFOS, individually or combined, above 70 ppt, the Navy and Marine Corps will provide bottled water for drinking and cooking to property owners or tenants until a more enduring solution is implemented.
For final remedial actions, the Navy and Marine Corps will address PFAS in private drinking water wells down to the EPA NPDWR or background levels, or other applicable requirements in accordance with the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA).
Identification of PFAS Releases at MCB Camp Lejeune
The Navy and Marine Corps finalized a PFAS Preliminary Assessment (PA) at MCB Camp Lejeune in 2019 that identified areas where releases of PFAS may have occurred. Based on the results of the PFAS PA, the Navy and Marine Corps completed a PFAS Site Inspection (SI). During the SI, the Navy and Marine Corps sampled and analysed MCB Camp Lejeune soil, groundwater, surface water, and sediment between 2020 and 2021 and found PFAS in soil, groundwater, surface water, and sediment. The PFAS release areas at MCB Camp Lejeune are listed below and shown on Figure 5. Remedial investigations are ongoing at the following release areas:
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Site 9 – Piney Green Road Fire Fighting Training Pit
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Site 36 – Camp Geiger Wastewater Treatment Plant and Sludge Drying Beds
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Site 43 – Agan Street Area
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Site 78 – Dogwood Fire Station
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Site 86 – Marine Corps Air Station New River Airfield
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Site 111 – Camp Davis
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Site 112 – Midway Park Fire Station
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Site 113 – Camp Geiger Fire Station
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Site 114 – Paradise Point Fire Station
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Site 115 – Stone Bay Fire Station
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Site 116 – Motor Transport Maintenance Facility
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Site 117 – Motor Transport Area
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Site 119 – Former Rifle Range Battalion Warehouse Fire Station
Figure 5. PFAS Release Areas at MCB Camp Lejeune
PFAS Investigation at MCB Camp Lejeune and Next Steps
The Navy and Marine Corps will continue investigating PFAS at MCB Camp Lejeune by following the CERCLA process and will evaluate if environmental restoration response actions are needed. To find out more about the environmental investigations at MCB Camp Lejeune, visit https://go.usa.gov/xSdBA.
The CERCLA process, as implemented by the National Contingency Plan (NCP), as depicted in Figure 6, provides a consistent, systematic framework for investigating and responding to environmental releases. This approach ensures compliance with applicable federal, State, and local requirements and protects human health and the environment. Collaboration with regulatory agencies, communities, and other stakeholders is maintained throughout to promote transparency and informed decision-making.
Figure 6. CERCLA Process
The Navy and Marine Corps are currently in the Remedial Investigation (RI) portion of the CERCLA response process for PFAS releases on MCB Camp Lejeune. This phase involves gathering detailed information about site conditions to define the nature and extent of the releases. The data collected will support the evaluation of remedial action alternatives.
MCB Camp Lejeune Private Drinking Water Well Sampling Documents
POC Card (April 2026)
Links
DoW PFAS website
EPA PFAS website
ATSDR PFAS website