The Navy is requesting property owner permission to sample private drinking water wells within a sampling area near Remote Training Site (RTS) Warner Springs for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS.
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Property owners with a drinking water well in the sampling area may call 1-800-523-1297 or email WarnerSpringsPFAS@aecom.com to schedule a sampling appointment. Appointments are currently being scheduled between 8:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. from January 13 to January 20, 2026 (additional times available upon request).
If you have questions about the drinking water sampling, please email: NBC_PAO@navy.mil or call and leave a detailed message at 1-800-523-1297. A Navy representative will return your call.
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OPEN HOUSE PUBLIC MEETING
PRIVATE DRINKING WATER WELL SAMPLING FOR PFAS
NEAR RTS WARNER SPRINGS
January 12, 2026
Anytime between 5:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m.
CAL FIRE Station #52
31049 CA-79, Warner Springs, CA 92086
The Navy is hosting an Open House Public Meeting with support from the Regional Water Quality Control Board, County of San Diego Public Health Services, and the California Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment. Representatives from these agencies will be available at the open house to provide additional information and answer questions.
For additional information about the Open House, or if you have questions about the private drinking water well sampling, please send an email to NBC_PAO@navy.mil, or call and leave a detailed message at 1-800-523-1297. A Navy representative will return your email or phone call.
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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 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 Navy is conducting further investigations to determine how PFAS may have been released at RTS Warner Springs (Figure 1). However, PFAS are present in the groundwater at Survival, Evasion, Resistance, and Escape (SERE) Camp on RTS Warner Springs (Figure 1) and may be present in nearby drinking water wells that are located in the direction that the groundwater flows away from RTS Warner Springs.
Figure 1 - BASE LOCATION MAP
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 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) |
These levels are based on current EPA NPDWR levels. If EPA updates applicable requirements, DoD will review and update its policy as appropriate.
Private Drinking Water Well Sampling near RTS Warner Springs
Certain PFAS have been detected in groundwater at RTS Warner Springs above the DoD PFAS Interim Action Levels for Private Drinking Water Wells. As a result, a sampling area has been established 1 mile in the direction that groundwater flows away from the locations of these detections.
At this time, the Navy is requesting property owner permission to sample private drinking water wells located in the sampling area (Figure 2). If your drinking water is provided by Warner Springs Estates, the Navy does not need to sample your drinking water.
Figure 2 - SAMPLING AREA
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 connection to public water supply 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 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.
Identification of PFAS Releases at RTS Warner Springs
A PFAS Preliminary Assessment (PA) was finalized in 2023 (MMEC, 2023) that identified areas where releases of PFAS may have occurred. Based on the results of the PFAS PA, a PFAS Site Inspection (SI) (MMEC, 2025) was completed. Sample collection and analysis of groundwater and soil were conducted in January 2024 and results indicated that PFAS were present in groundwater and soil at RTS Warner Springs (MMEC, 2025). The PFAS areas investigated at RTS Warner Springs are listed below and are depicted on Figure 3:
The Navy will continue investigating PFAS at RTS Warner Springs following the CERCLA process and will evaluate if actions are needed. To find out more about all of the environmental investigations at RTS Warner Springs, visit https://go.usa.gov/xhYpN.
Figure 3 - PFAS RELEASE AREAS
RTS Warner Springs Private Drinking Water Well Sampling Documents
Links