NAVAL AIR STATION PENSACOLA

Environmental Restoration Program Public Website

SAMPLING PFAS IN PRIVATE DRINKING WATER WELLS NEAR NAS PENSACOLA

In 2019, the sampling area for NAS Pensacola (Figure 2) was established 1 mile from PFAS release areas in the direction that groundwater flows away from the potential release areas. This sampling area has been expanded to account for uncertainties in groundwater flow direction (Figure 2). The Navy is offering sampling to all property owners whose property is within the 2019 and 2025 sampling areas (Figure 2) and whose drinking water is supplied by a private drinking water well that has not yet been sampled by the Navy.

Records indicate that some properties within the sampling area obtain drinking water from public water suppliers Emerald Coast Utilities Authority or People's Water Service Company. If your drinking water is provided by Emerald Coast Utilities Authority, People's Water Service Company of Florida, or another public water system, the Navy does not need to sample your drinking water.

The Navy has reevaluated the 2019 off-base private drinking water well results using the DoD PFAS interim action levels for private drinking water wells (Table 1). None of the private drinking water wells sampled near NAS Pensacola contain PFAS at or above the DoD PFAS interim action levels.

2019 PRIVATE DRINKING WATER WELL SAMPLING

The Navy sampled private drinking water wells at NAS Pensacola in 2019. The sampling area for NAS Pensacola and (Figure 2), was established 1 mile from PFAS release areas in the direction that groundwater flows away from the potential release areas.

Table 2 provides a summary of the results of the sampling. Table 3 presents the PFAS results. Near NAS Pensacola, there were no detections of PFOA and/or PFOS above 70 ppt, the Navy’s action level at the time.

The Navy has reevaluated the 2019 off-base private drinking water well results using the DoD PFAS interim action levels for private drinking water wells (Table 1); the results of this evaluation are shown in Table 2. None of the private drinking water wells sampled near NAS Pensacola contain PFAS at or above the DoD PFAS interim action levels.

Table 2: NAS Pensacola 2019 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 below 70 ppt*	Number of wells with detections of PFAS below the DoD PFAS interim action levels	Number of wells with detections of PFAS at or above DoD PFAS interim action levels
10	6	4	8	0

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

Table 3: NAS Pensacola 2019 Private Drinking Water Well Results

Sample	PFOA (ppt)	PFOS (ppt)>/b>	PFOA+PFOS (ppt)	PFNA (ppt)	PFHxS (ppt)	HFPO-DA (ppt)	PFBS (ppt)	Hazard Index
1	ND	ND	ND	ND	ND	ND	ND	NC
2	1.4 J	6.12	7.53	0.56 J	16.46	ND	327.7	1.87
3	ND	ND	ND	ND	ND	ND	0.24 J	0.00
4	ND	0.35 J	0.35	ND	0.65 J	ND	ND	0.07
5	ND	ND	ND	ND	ND	ND	ND	NC
6	ND	ND	ND	ND	0.68 J	ND	ND	0.07
7	3.89	6.41	10.3	0.24 J	6.96	ND	4.43 J	0.72
8	ND	ND	ND	ND	0.21 J	ND	ND	0.02
9	ND	ND	ND	ND	ND	ND	0.16 J	0.00
10	0.99 J	ND	0.99	ND	2.24	ND	0.56 J	0.22

HI - Hazard Index. EPA Hazard Index Fact Sheet
ND - not detected
NC - hazard index not calculated because no PFAS were detected
NS - not sampled
J - laboratory estimated value

Figure 2: Private Drinking Water Well Sampling Area – NAS Pensacola

IDENTIFICATION OF PFAS RELEASES AT NAS PENSACOLA

The PFAS Preliminary Assessment (PA) was finalized in 2021 and identified areas where releases of PFAS may have occurred (Tetra Tech 2021). Based on the results of the PFAS PA, the PFAS Site Inspection (SI) was completed in 2023 (Tetra Tech, 2023). Sample collection and analysis of groundwater, surface water, and soil were conducted from October to November 2021.

PFAS were found in groundwater and soil at NAS Pensacola. The PFAS release areas that were investigated during the SI are depicted on Figure 3 and listed below. The Navy will continue investigating PFAS at NAS Pensacola following the CERCLA process and will evaluate if actions are needed.

PFAS Release Areas – NAS Pensacola

Current and Former Fuel Farm Site 37 (UST Site 24)
Runway 7R Crash Locations
Forrest Sherman Field Fire Truck Staging Areas
Former Fire Training Area 3 & Foam Checks
Foam Checks
Forrest Sherman Field Sludge Disposal Location 1A
Forrest Sherman Field Sludge Disposal Locations 1B
Site 3 Former Crash Crew Training Area (UST Site 18)
Current Crash Crew Building 1878
Air Force Maintenance Hangar Building 4149
Taxiway A3 Aircraft Brake Fire Response
Former Fire Training Area 2
Former Plating Operation Building 3221
Site 1 Sanitary Landfill (OU 1)
Former Fire Training Area 1 (Site 7)
Current Fire Station Building 4125
Current Fire Department AFFF Storage Building 4153
Building 1771 Transportation Spill
Former Pest Control Shop and Pesticide Mixing Area (Site 24)
Temporary Fire Station Building 3374
Former Fire Station Building 697 (Demolished)
Golf Course Maintenance Facility and Pesticide Rinsate Disposal Areas, Site 15 (Buildings 747 and 3447)
Former Industrial Building Complex Plating Shops
Former Electroplating Shop Building 709
AFFF Storage Tank Building 684
Former Wastewater Treatment Plant (WWTP) OU10
Former Chevalier Field
Former Fire Station Building 21 (Demolished)
Former Fire Department AFFF Storage Building 8 (Demolished)
Former Fire Department AFFF Storage Building 51 (Demolished)
Waterfront Sediments (Site 2)