OLF PACE PFAS Drinking Water Well Sampling

The Navy is requesting property owner permission to sample private drinking water wells within a sampling area near Outlying Landing Field (OLF) Pace for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS.

WELCOME TO THE NAVY PAGE FOR PFAS AT OLF PACE

HERE YOU WILL FIND INFORMATION ABOUT:

• What PFAS are and how PFAS have been released to the environment at OLF Pace

• PFAS releases at OLF Pace

• Private drinking water well sampling near OLF Pace

• Actions based on private drinking water sampling results

• Documents related to the private drinking water well sampling near OLF Pace

• Links for more information

INTRODUCTION

PFAS have been used 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 most common activity that could have resulted in the historical release of PFAS to the environment at OLF Pace (Figure 1) is the use of firefighting foam (specifically, aqueous film-forming foam, or AFFF). Due to this historical use, PFAS are present in the groundwater on base and previously warranted the evaluation of nearby private drinking water wells located in the direction that the groundwater flows away from the base.

Figure 1 - OLF Pace

On April 26, 2024, the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) published a 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 National Primary Drinking Water Regulation have until April 26, 2029 to meet these standards. In September 2024, the Department of War (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 DoW’s plans to incorporate the EPA’s drinking water regulation into DoW’s ongoing PFAS cleanups and prioritize actions to address private drinking water wells with the highest levels of PFAS from DoW activities. Table 1 shows the DoW PFAS Interim Action Levels for Private Drinking Water Wells and EPA National Primary Drinking Water Regulation Levels.

Table 1 presents the DoW PFAS Interim Action Levels for Private Drinking Water Wells and EPA National Primary Drinking Water Regulation Levels. The DoW’s September 2024 memorandum can be found here.

Table 1: EPA NPDWR Levels for Public Water Systems and DoW PFAS Interim Action Levels for Private Drinking Water Wells

ppt = part(s) per trillion

¹ These 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 OLF PACE

Certain PFAS have been detected in groundwater at OLF Pace. As a result of the detections at OLF Pace, a sampling area (Figure 2) was established 1 mile in the direction that groundwater flows away from the locations of these detections.

2026 PRIVATE DRINKING WATER WELL SAMPLING

At this time, the Navy is requesting property owner permission to sample private drinking water wells in the sampling area near OLF Pace (Figure 2). Due to improvements in laboratory methods, the Navy is also requesting property owner permission to resample private drinking water wells that were sampled by the Navy before 2025. If your drinking water is provided by the Chumuckla Water System, the Navy does not need to sample your drinking water.

The samples will be sent to an accredited, independent laboratory. The laboratory will analyze for the presence of certain PFAS according to EPA-approved methods. The laboratory will then provide the Navy with preliminary results, after which the preliminary results will be validated by an independent third-party for quality assurance. Once the results are validated, they will be provided to property owners and tenants, approximately 3 months after sampling.

Figure 2 - Sampling Area

PREVIOUS 2021 - 2025 PRIVATE DRINKING WATER WELL SAMPLING

Beginning in 2021, the Navy sampled private drinking water wells based on information that was available at that time about PFAS releases at OLF Pace. The 2021 sampling area, shown in Figure 2, was established 1 mile in the direction that groundwater flows away from a known release area. Table 2 provides a summary of the results of the sampling. None of the properties sampled had detections of PFOA and/or PFOS above 70 ppt, the Navy’s action level at the time. Table 3 presents the PFAS results.

The Navy has re-evaluated the 2021 through the present private drinking water well results using the current DoW PFAS Interim Action Levels for Private Drinking Water Wells. None of the private drinking water wells sampled near OLF Pace contain PFAS at or above these levels.

Table 2: OLF Pace – 2021 through Present Private Drinking Water Well Results Summary

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

Table 3: OLF Pace – 2021 through Present – Private Drinking Water Well Results

¹Displays the highest detected value of each PFAS analyte shown on this table per drinking water well sampled. Sample numbers demonstrate the samples that have been collected but each number does not correspond to a specific property.

²For any drinking water wells with PFOA and/or PFOS individually or combined above 70 ppt, the Navy can provide bottled water for drinking and cooking until a more enduring solution is implemented.

³HI = Hazard Index. Calculated for HFPO-DA, PFBS, PFNA, and PFHxS when two or more of these compounds are detected in the sample. Calculated per EPA recommendations (Maximum Contaminant Level Goals (MCLGs) for Three Individual Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) and a Mixture of Four PFAS, 2024) as follows:

Hazard Index (unitless) = (HPFO-DA (ppt) / 10 (ppt)) + (PFBS (ppt) / 2000 (ppt)) + (PFNA (ppt) / 10 (ppt)) + (PFHxS (ppt) / 10 (ppt))

PFOA+PFOS is only calculated when both are detected.
NC = not calculated
ND = not detected
J = Result is estimated
ppt = parts per trillion

ACTIONS BASED ON OFF-BASE DRINKING WATER SAMPLING RESULTS

The Navy will address PFAS in private drinking water wells in keeping with the DoW policies:

PFAS at or above the DoW PFAS Interim Action 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 connection to public water 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 can provide bottled water for drinking and cooking to property owners or tenants until a more enduring solution is implemented.

A summary of the Navy’s actions to address PFAS in private drinking water wells near OLF Pace is provided in Table 4.

Table 4: OLF Pace – Navy Actions to Address PFAS in Private Drinking Water Wells Summary

For final remedial actions, the Navy will address PFAS in private drinking water wells down to EPA National Primary Drinking Water Regulation Levels or background levels in accordance with Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA) requirements.

IDENTIFICATION OF PFAS RELEASES AT OLF PACE

The Navy finalized a PFAS Preliminary Assessment (PA) in 2021 that identified areas where releases of PFAS may have occurred. Based on the results of the PFAS PA, the Navy completed a PFAS Site Inspection (SI). Sample collection and analyses of soil and groundwater were conducted from March 2022 to June 2023. PFAS were found in groundwater and soil at OLF Pace. The PFAS release area investigated at OLF Pace is listed below and shown on Figure 3. Remedial investigations are ongoing at the following release area:

• Aqueous Film-Forming Foam (AFFF) Storage at Crash Shack/Blockhouse

The Navy will continue investigating PFAS at OLF Pace following the CERCLA process and will evaluate if actions are needed. To find out more about all of the environmental investigations at OLF Pace, visit https://www.navfac.navy.mil/NASWF.

Figure 3 - PFAS Release Area at OLF Pace

OLF PACE PRIVATE DRINKING WATER WELL SAMPLING DOCUMENTS - CURRENT INVESTIGATION

• Private Drinking Water Well Sampling Fact Sheet (June 2026)

• Example letter to request resampling (July 2026)

• Example letter to request sampling (July 2026)

• Property Owner Questionnaire (July 2026)

• Right of Entry Agreement (July 2026)

• Drinking Water Sampling FAQs (July 2026)

• Notification postcard to tenants, properties within the sampling area having a drinking water well (July 2026)

• Notification postcard to properties on public water (July 2026)

• Florida Contact List (July 2026)

OLF PACE PRIVATE DRINKING WATER WELL SAMPLING DOCUMENTS - PREVIOUS INVESTIGATION

• Virtual Open House Posters (May 2021)

• Drinking Water Investigation Fact Sheet (May 2021)

• Drinking Water Sampling FAQs (May 2021)

• Property Owner Questionnaire (May 2021)

• Example Letter to request sampling (May 2021)

• Notification postcard to properties on public water (May 2021)

• Notification postcard to tenants (May 2021)

• Sampling reminder postcard (July 2021)

• Drinking Water Investigation Results Fact Sheet (October 2021)

• Results postcard for properties sampled (November 2021)

• Results postcard for properties not sampled (November 2021)

• Example results letter, results below EPA lifetime health advisory levels (January 2022)

• Drinking Water Investigation Results Fact Sheet (June 2022)

• Results Open House Postcard (June 2022)

• Results Open House Posters (June 2022)

• Carteles con Resultados Presentados en la Jornada de Puertas Abiertas (Español) (June 2022)

ADDITIONAL DOCUMENTS

• ATSDR - PFAS Overview

• ATSDR - PFAS Health Effects

• ATSDR - Breastfeeding and PFAS

LINKS

• DoW PFAS website

• EPA PFAS website

• ATSDR PFAS website