“WESTFIELD – The city has filed a federal lawsuit against three manufacturers of firefighting foam contaminating water wells near Westfield-Barnes Regional Airport, Mayor Brian P. Sullivan announced Thursday.
The facility houses a public airport and the 104th Fighter Wing of the Air National Guard. Two nearby wells were found to have exceeded federal advisory levels for chemicals found in the firefighting foam, and have not been in service since December 2015.
City Solicitor Susan Phillips said both wells are offline and the city’s water is tested regularly. She said current water tests are within the federal safety levels…
The complaint alleges the aqueous film-forming foam was used for decades by the Air National Guard for training as well as firefighting…
The complaint further states that the manufacturers marketed and sold the products with the knowledge that PFOS and/or PFOA would be released into the environment in firefighting training exercises and in firefighting emergencies.
The city said it has incurred substantial expense to provide clean drinking water to residents. To ensure safe drinking water, the city said it works with the state Department of Environmental Protection, monitors water quality and has filtration facilities serving the public water wells near the air base.”
Read the full article by Hope E. Tremblay.