Naval Computer and Telecommunications Area, Master Station Detachment Cutler

Environmental Restoration Program Public Website

OFF-BASE DRINKING WATER SAMPLING NEAR
NSA CUTLER FIRE STATION
CUTLER, MAINE

The Navy is sampling drinking water obtained from drinking water wells within a sampling area near NSA Cutler Fire Station to test for certain per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, commonly known as PFAS.

If you have a drinking water well on a property located within the sampling area that has not been sampled, you may schedule a sampling appointment by calling
1-757-341-1410 or 1-757-341-1411 or by emailing NAVFAC_ML_PAO@navy.mil.

INTRODUCTION

PFAS are a family of thousands of different chemicals 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 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 an historical release of PFAS to the environment at NSA Cutler Fire Station (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 NSA Cutler Fire Station and have been detected in nearby drinking water wells that are located in the direction that the groundwater flows away from NSA Cutler Fire Station.

Figure 1: Location Map of NSA Cutler Fire Station

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 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 cleanups and prioritize actions to address private drinking water wells with the highest levels of PFAS from DoD activities. Table 1 shows the levels that all of DoD, including the Navy, is authorized to use to address PFAS in private drinking water wells.

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 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)

ppt = part(s) per trillion
If EPA updates applicable requirements, DoD will review and update its policy as appropriate.

OFF-BASE DRINKING WATER SAMPLING NEAR THE NAVAL SUPPORT ACTIVITY (NSA) CUTLER FIRE STATION

Certain PFAS have been detected in the groundwater at the NSA Cutler Fire Station and in nearby private drinking water wells (Figure 2) above the DoD PFAS Interim Action Levels for Private Drinking Water Wells. As a result, the sampling area was established as a one mile radius from the NSA Cutler Fire Station in the directions that groundwater flows away from this location.

Figure 2: NSA Cutler Designated Sampling Area

OFF-BASE DRINKING WATER SAMPLING RESULTS

In September 2020, the Navy initiated the sampling of drinking water wells within the sampling area (Figure 2) near the NSA Cutler Fire Station. From September 2020 through September 2022, samples were collected from 60 private drinking water wells. Laboratory results indicated that PFOA was detected in 41 samples at concentrations ranging from 0.62 ng/L to 772.12 ng/L. PFOS was detected in 41 samples at concentrations ranging from 0.20 ng/L to 544.83 ng/L. The initial off-base private drinking water sampling program revealed that the combined concentration of PFOA and PFOS was above 70 ng/L in 19 private water supply well samples. Table 2 provides a summary of the initial sampling results from the 60 wells sampled. Table 3 presents the initial PFAS results for the 60 sampled off-base drinking water wells. Originally, there were 19 detections of PFOA and/or PFOS above 70 ppt, the Navy’s action level at the time.

Table 2. NSA Cutler Fire Station Off-Base Drinking Water Sampling Status as of December 19, 2022
Number of Wells Sampled	Number of wells with no detections of PFOA or PFOS	Number of wells with detections of PFOA and/or PFOS below 70 ppt	Number of wells with detections of PFOA and/or PFOS above 70 ppt
60	19	22	19

ACTIONS BASED ON OFF-BASE DRINKING WATER SAMPLING RESULTS

The Navy provided notification to the property owners and tenants of their drinking water results and any follow-up actions, if needed. The Navy continues to 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. The Navy worked with property owners to implement an enduring solution as soon as possible. The Navy initiated a Time-Critical Removal Action (TCRA) to provide a more sustainable and feasible option to mitigate the identified exposure migration pathway to PFAS in drinking water, as compared to supplying affected occupants with bottled water. Under the TCRA in 2021, the Navy installed POET filter system at each of the 19 drinking water well with an exceedance of the 2016 USEPA lifetime health advisory of 70 ng/L. In February 2022, the Maine Department of Environmental Protection (MEDEP) installed POET filter systems at 14 additional private drinking water wells with PFAS concentrations above the 20 ng/L Maine maximum contaminant level (MCL) for six PFAS compounds (PFAS6). A total of 33 POET filter systems are currently operational near the NSA Cutler Fire Station in drinking water wells with concentrations above the DoD PFAS Interim Actions Levels for Private Drinking Water Wells (Table 1).

PFAS below the DoD PFAS Interim Action Levels for Private Drinking Water Wells. For final remedial actions, the Navy will address drinking water down to EPA NPDWR or background levels in accordance with Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA) requirements.

The Navy has re-evaluated the off-base private drinking water well sampling results using the current DoD PFAS Interim Action Levels for Private Drinking Water Wells (Table 1). As noted, 14 additional private drinking water wells near NSA Cutler Fire Station contain PFAS at or above these levels. These 14 additional drinking water wells were fitted with State POET filter systems installed in 2022. As a result of efforts to address the PFAS release, the Navy has acquired the sampling, operations, and maintenance of the State’s 14 POET filter systems starting August 30, 2025.

The Navy continues to offer sampling to property owners and tenants whose wells have not been previously sampled. Each property owner was contacted upon receipt of their preliminary results to let them know if their water contains PFOA and/or PFOS above or below the 2016 USEPA lifetime health advisory of 70 ppt or the September 2024 DoD PFAS Interim Action Levels for Private Drinking Water Wells (Table 1). Bottled water delivery was provided within 24 hours of the preliminary results being received by the Navy. Final laboratory results were mailed to each property owner after all data are verified and final. Out of respect for the privacy of the property owner, individual results are provided only to each property owner.

POET performance monitoring was initiated in April 2021. Periodic performance monitoring included the sampling of drinking water before, in-between, and after the 2-cartrige POET filter system. Sampling was weekly immediately following POET installation, then decreased over time from monthly, then quarterly, and to semi-annual sampling starting in March 2024. POET filter system operations and maintenance activities are performed on a quarterly basis.

IDENTIFICATION OF PFAS RELEASES AT NSA CUTLER FIRE STATION

The NSA Cutler Fire Station was identified in 2019 as a potential PFAS release area during the Preliminary Assessment (PA) for NSA Cutler. In spring of 2020, a Site Inspection (SI) was completed at the NSA Cutler Fire Station and the results indicated PFOA and/or PFOS were detected in shallow groundwater, confirming that the site is a PFAS release area and requiring additional investigation. In the summer of 2020, the drinking water at the fire station was sampled, and PFOA and/or PFOS were detected above 70 ppt. As a result of these detections, the off-base drinking water sampling was initiated in September 2020. In fall of 2022, the Navy initiated a Remedial Investigation (RI) for areas on and near the NSA Cutler Fire Station to determine the nature and extent of PFAS and to evaluate the potential risk of PFAS exposure to human and ecological receptors within the RI area.

The September 2019 PFAS Preliminary Assessment (PA) identified several areas where releases of PFAS may have occurred. Based on the results of the PFAS PA, a Site Inspection was completed from June 2020 to July 2022 where soil, sediment, and groundwater samples were collected and analyzed for PFAS. PFAS were found in soil and groundwater at NSA Cutler. The PFAS sites investigated at NSA Cutler are listed below and are depicted on Figure 3. Remedial investigations are ongoing at the following release areas:

Site 1 – Fire Training Area (Includes Site 5 /AOC 31 – Drum Disposal Area and AOC 33 – Oil and Grease Disposal Area);
Site 2 – Salvage Yard Area;
Site 10 – NSA Cutler Fire Station;
Site 11 – Tank Farm (AOC 6); and
Site 12 – Former Sludge Spreading Area (AOC 1).

The Navy will continue investigating PFAS at NSA Cutler following the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA) process and will evaluate if actions are needed. To find out more about all of the environmental investigations at NSA Cutler, visit: https://www.navfac.navy.mil/Divisions/Environmental/Products-and-Services/Environmental-Restoration/Mid-Atlantic/Cutler-NCTAMS/Administrative-Record/

Figure 3: Potential PFAS Release Areas