The Navy and Marine Corps are requesting property owner permission to sample private drinking water wells for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS near Marine Corps Outlying Landing Field (MCOLF) Atlantic.
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Property owners with a drinking water well in the sampling areas may call 1-877-MCOLF17 (1-877-626-5317) to schedule a sampling appointment. Appointments are currently being scheduled between the hours of 8:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m. May 27th through June 3rd and June 5th through June 12th.
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Introduction
PFAS are a family of thousands of different chemicals that have been used since the 1950s in many household and industrial products. 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 Department of Defense (DoD) have developed proactive policies to address past releases of PFAS, including perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS), at installations nationwide.
The most common activity that could have resulted in the historical release of PFAS to the environment at MCOLF Atlantic (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 MCOLF Atlantic. PFAS have also been detected in nearby private drinking water wells that are in the direction that the groundwater flows away from MCOLF Atlantic.
On April 26, 2024, the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) published a final National Primary Drinking Water Regulation (NPDWR) establishing nationwide drinking water standards for certain PFAS under the Safe Drinking Water Act. The regulation applies to public drinking water systems. Operators of public drinking water systems regulated by the NPDWR have until April 26, 2029 to meet these standards. In September 2024, DoD 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 DoD’s plans to incorporate the EPA’s drinking water regulation into DoD’s ongoing PFAS responses and prioritize actions to address private drinking water wells with the highest levels of PFAS from DoD activities.
Table 1 presents the DoD PFAS Interim Action Levels for Private Drinking Water Wells. The DoD’s September 2024 memorandum can be found here.
Table 1. DoD PFAS Interim Action Levels for Private Drinking Water Wells
| PFAS |
Level |
| perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) |
12 parts per trillion (ppt) |
| perfluorooctane sulfonic acid (PFOS) |
12 ppt |
| perfluorononanoic acid (PFNA) |
30 ppt |
| perfluorohexane sulfonic acid (PFHxS) |
30 ppt |
| hexafluoropropylene oxide dimer acid (HFPO-DA or GenX) |
30 ppt |
| hazard index for mixture of at least two of PFHxS, PFNA, HFPO-DA, and perfluorobutane sulfonic acid (PFBS) |
3 (no units) |
Figure 1 – Marine Corps Outlying Landing Field Atlantic
Addressing PFAS in Private Drinking Water Wells near MCOLF Atlantic
The Navy and Marine Corps previously established a sampling area in 2017, one mile away from the installation boundary which was sampled 2017-2020. The Navy and Marine Corps have re-evaluated the 2017-2020 private drinking water well sampling results using the DoD PFAS Interim Action Levels for Private Drinking Water Wells (Table 1). Four private drinking water wells near MCOLF Atlantic contain PFAS at or above the DoD PFAS levels. The Navy and Marine Corps are requesting property owner permission to implement an interim action to address PFAS in these private drinking water wells. Near MCOLF Atlantic, drinking water treatment systems will be installed as the interim action if the property owner provides permission. The Navy and Marine Corps have also determined that the sampling area near MCOLF Atlantic should be expanded (Figure 2).
At this time, the Navy and Marine Corps are requesting permission to sample private drinking water wells in the sampling areas (Figure 2). The Navy and Marine Corps have determined that drinking water wells previously sampled should be resampled because the laboratory method at that time could not detect PFAS at the current lower levels, and because samples were analyzed for three PFAS. Because of the laboratory method limitations, PFAS previously reported as not detected may now be detectable at low levels in these drinking water wells. Other PFAS may also be present in private drinking water wells near MCOLF Atlantic. The Navy and Marine Corps are requesting property owner permission to resample private drinking water wells that were sampled previously by the Navy and Marine Corps.
Figure 2 – Sampling Areas near MCOLF Atlantic
Results Communication
Preliminary drinking water well sampling results are typically received from the laboratory within approximately 30 days after sample collection. The Navy and Marine Corps call property owners (and tenants, if present) to provide preliminary drinking water well sampling results. Final drinking water well sampling results will be mailed to property owners (and tenants, if present) within three months after sample collection. Results will also be available online at: https://www.acq.osd.mil/eie/eer/ecc/pfas/map/pfasmap.html. Individual results will not be linked with the sampled well or property on this website to ensure continued privacy of property owners and tenants.
Actions Based on Results
The Navy and Marine Corps will address PFAS in private drinking water wells in keeping with the DoD policy:
PFAS at or above the DoD PFAS Interim Actions Levels for private drinking water wells (Table 1). The Navy and Marine Corps will work with property owners to implement an enduring solution as soon as possible. Enduring solutions include connection to public water supply (not available near MCOLF Atlantic) 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.
PFAS below the DoD PFAS Interim Action Levels for private drinking water wells (Table 1). For final remedial actions, the Navy and Marine Corps will address drinking water down to EPA NPDWR or background levels in accordance with Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA) requirements.
2017 – Present Private Drinking Water Well Sampling
Since 2017, the Navy and Marine Corps have offered to sample private drinking water wells near MCOLF Atlantic, because of potential PFAS releases at MCOLF Atlantic. The sampling area, shown in Figure 2, was established in 2017, one mile from the installation boundary. Table 2 provides a summary of the results of the sampling. Table 3 presents the PFAS results. There was one detection of PFOA and/or PFOS above 70 ppt, the Navy and Marine Corps’ action level at the time. The Navy and Marine Corps have provided bottled water for drinking and cooking and will continue to do so until an enduring solution is implemented.
Table 2. MCOLF Atlantic – 2017-Present Private Drinking Water Well Results Summary
| Number of Wells Sampled |
Number of wells with no detections of PFOA or PFOS |
Number of Wells with detections of PFOA and/or PFOS at or below 70 ppt* |
Number of wells with detections of PFAS below the DoD PFAS Interim Action Levels in private drinking water wells |
Number of wells with detections of PFAS at or above the DoD PFAS Interim Action Levels in private drinking water wells |
| 280 |
253 |
26 |
23 |
4 |
*70 ppt for PFOA and PFOS, individually or combined, was the Navy and Marine Corps’ action level at the time of this sampling.
Table 3. MCOLF Atlantic – 2017-Present Private Drinking Water Well Results
Identification of PFAS Releases at Marine Corps Outlying Landing Field Atlantic
The Navy and Marine Corps finalized a PFAS Preliminary Assessment (PA) 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). Sample collection and analyses of soil, groundwater, surface water, and sediment were conducted from August 2019 to July 2021. PFAS were found in soil, groundwater, surface water, and sediment at MCOLF Atlantic. The PFAS release areas investigated at MCOLF Atlantic are depicted on Figure 3. The following PFAS release areas were identified during the SI:
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CH-46 Helicopter Fire Response
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2000-2002 Forest Fire – Area #1
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2000-2002 Forest Fire – Area #2
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Wastewater Treatment Plant (includes the Sewage Treatment Lagoons, Building 7023, Original Wastewater Treatment Plant Effluent Spray Area, and Wastewater Treatment Plant Effluent Spray Area Expansion)
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Historical Crash Crew Staging Area #2
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Historical Crash Crew Staging Area #3
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M151 Jeep Emergency Response
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Historical South Runway FARP Activities
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Historical Crash Crew Staging Area #1
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Current FARP Activities (2010-present) including the Current FARP Emergency Response Parking Areas #1 and #2
The Navy and Marine Corps will continue investigating PFAS at MCOLF Atlantic following the CERCLA process and will evaluate if actions are needed.
Figure 3 – PFAS Release Areas
MCOLF Atlantic Private Drinking Water Well Sampling Documents
Additional Resources
Links
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.