Naval Support Activity Hampton Roads Northwest Annex

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The Navy is requesting permission to address per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS, in private drinking water wells near Naval Support Activity Hampton Roads Northwest Annex (Northwest Annex) and conduct additional sampling of certain private drinking water wells.

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 the historical release of PFAS to the environment at Northwest Annex (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 Northwest Annex and have been detected in nearby drinking water wells that are located in the direction that the groundwater flows away from Northwest Annex.

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 five years 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.

Private Drinking Water Well Sampling near Northwest Annex

Certain PFAS have been detected in groundwater at Northwest Annex above the DoD PFAS Interim Action Levels (Figure 2) for private drinking water wells. The Navy also recently collected additional information about groundwater flow at Northwest Annex. 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.

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 in 2019.

Actions Based on Private Drinking Water Sampling Results

The preliminary results from the private drinking water well sampling 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 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 will work with property owners to implement an enduring solution as soon as possible. Options for enduring solutions may include installation of a drinking water treatment system. For any drinking water wells with PFOA and PFOS, individually or combined, above 70 ppt, the Navy 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 will address drinking water down to EPA NPDWR or background levels, in accordance with Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA) requirements.

2019 Off-Base Drinking Water Well Sampling

In 2019, the Navy sampled private drinking water wells based on information that was available at that time about potential PFAS releases at Northwest Annex. The 2019 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 2 provides a summary of the results of the sampling. Table 3 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 re-evaluated the 2019 off-base private drinking water well results using the current DoD PFAS Interim Action Levels for private drinking water wells (Table 1). One private drinking water well near Northwest Annex contains PFAS at or above these levels. The Navy has contacted the property owner to request permission and begin the process to implement an enduring solution.

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

 

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.
NC = Not Calculated. PFOA+PFOS is only calculated when both are detected. Hazard Index is only calculated when two or more of HFPO-DA, PFBS, PFNA, and PFHxS were detected
ND = not detected
J = laboratory estimated value
ppt = parts per trillion

Identification of PFAS Releases at Northwest Annex

A PFAS Preliminary Assessment (PA) was finalized in 2019 (Tetra Tech, 2019) that identified areas where releases of PFAS may have occurred. Based on the results of the PFAS PA, a PFAS Site Inspection (SI) (Tetra Tech, 2021) and SI Addendum (Tetra Tech, 2023) were completed. Sample collection and analysis of groundwater, sediment and soil were conducted from June 2020 to July 2022. PFAS were found in groundwater and soil at Northwest Annex. The PFAS sites investigated at Northwest Annex are depicted on Figure 3; Table 4 lists the release areas investigated during the SI and SI Addendum along with the recommended path forward. The Navy will continue investigating PFAS at Northwest Annex following CERCLA process and will evaluate if actions are needed.

RI - Remedial Investigation
N/A – Not Applicable
NFI - No Further Investigation
*Area of Well Field 1 and Building 339 – Drinking Water Treatment Plant is not shown on Figure 3 for security concerns.

Northwest Annex Off-Base Drinking Water Sampling Documents

Assistant Secretary of the Navy PFAS website

DoD PFAS website

EPA PFAS website

ATSDR PFAS website

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.