Naval Research Laboratory, Chesapeake Bay Detachment

• Home
• Site Descriptions
• Community Outreach
• Administrative Record
• PFAS

The Navy is requesting property owner permission to sample private drinking water wells within a sampling area near Naval Research Laboratory - Chesapeake Bay Detachment (NRL-CBD) for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS.

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 NRL-CBD (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 NRL-CBD and have been detected in nearby drinking water wells that are located in the direction that the groundwater flows away from NRL-CBD.

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 policy memorandum can be found here.

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 NRL-CBD

Certain PFAS have been detected in groundwater at NRL-CBD (Figure 2) above the DoD PFAS Interim Action Levels for Private Drinking Water Wells. In 2018 the Navy conducted sampling of private drinking water wells in a sampling area established one mile in the direction that groundwater flows away from on-base detections of PFOA and/or PFOA above 70 parts per trillion (ppt), the DoD action level at the time. PFOA and/or PFOS were not detected above 70 ppt in private drinking water wells.

Due to the September 2024 DoD policy, the Navy re-evaluated on-base groundwater results and the 2018 off-base private drinking water well results. Based on this information, the Navy identified one, currently in-use, off-base drinking water well above the DoD PFAS Interim Action Levels for Private Drinking Water Wells. The Navy is implementing an enduring solution for that well. The Navy also determined that the off-base drinking water sampling near NRL-CBD should be expanded (Figure 2). Due to improvements in laboratory methods, the Navy is also requesting permission to resample private drinking water wells that were previously sampled by the Navy.

At this time, the Navy is requesting property owner permission to sample private drinking water wells located in the sampling areas (Figure 2), including those previously sampled by the Navy. If you receive a water utility bill, the Navy does not need to sample your drinking water.

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 (if available) 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.

2018 Private Drinking Water Well Sampling

In 2018, the Navy sampled private drinking water wells based on information that was available at that time about PFAS releases at NRL-CBD. The 2018 sampling area, shown in Figure 2, was established 1 mile in the direction that groundwater flows away from the Site 10 release area shown in Figure 3. Table 2 provides a summary of the results of the sampling. Table 3 presents the individual well PFAS results to date. 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 2018 off-base private drinking water well results using the current DoD PFAS Interim Action Levels for Private Drinking Water Wells (Table 1). Two private drinking water wells near NRL-CBD contain PFAS at or above these levels. The Navy has confirmed that one of the drinking water wells is no longer in use as a drinking water well. The Navy has begun the process of implementing an enduring solution for the one active off-base private drinking water well with results above the DoD PFAS Interim Action Levels for Private Drinking Water Wells.

*70 ppt for PFOA and PFOS, individually or combined, was the Navy’s action level at the time of this sampling.
** One well is currently not in-use and an enduring solution is not planned at this time.