January 13 2023
Updated 3 hours ago
Project ‘targets’ hazardous materials storage site which released fire suppression foam in 2008 and 2011
In an effort to stop PFAS contamination before it reaches the Dayton water system, a Army contractor at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base has built a 420-foot-long trench near a hazardous materials storage site on the base.
“The constructed trench will intercept impacted groundwater, and a downgradient-collection basin will catch affected surface water so it can be treated before it’s discharged near the Dayton drinking water wellfield,” the base said Thursday.
... More recently, 21 wells at the base were found to have yielded water samples showing the presence of PFAS or “forever chemicals” above EPA lifetime health advisory levels or regional screening levels, according to data the base released late last year.
The trench project “targets” a hazardous materials storage facility on the base’s Area B, the base said.
The base said the storage facility “accidently released a firefighting agent called aqueous film-forming foam (AFFF) containing per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) on two occasions in 2008 and 2011.”
Officials said the fire-suppression system at this facility used an earlier version of the firefighting foam before the EPA identified PFAS as risky.
“The released (firefighting foam) soaked into the soil and entered the ground and surface water near the site,” the base said.
Last week, the Pentagon released new requirements for firefighting foam at military bases.