“ATLANTIC — The U.S. Navy has completed a second round of voluntary well water sampling in the area surrounding Marine Corps Outlying Landing Field Atlantic and is extending the testing window for any resident who has not yet had their well sampled.
Navy officials have been testing for the presence of two perfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in private drinking water wells within a one-mile radius of the landing field since November. As of the end of March, 258 wells had been sampled.
Mike Barton, communication and operations officer for Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point, said the Navy decided to further extend the testing window in order to involve as much of the community as possible in the sampling program. The additional data will help inform the Navy’s investigation moving forward.
‘Because we’ve had so few people actually sign up for testing, the hope is to get more people involved,’ he said. ‘… Atlantic is a small community, we’d really hope folks will help get the word out’…
The Navy identified 441 parcels surrounding MCOLF Atlantic that may have been affected by activities at the landing field.
Of the wells tested so far, 26 indicated the presence of trace amounts of two PFAS chemicals – perfluorooctane (PFOS) sulfonate and perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA).
Two of those wells had results exceeding the Environmental Protection Agency’s lifetime health advisory standard of 70 parts for trillion for PFOS and PFOA…
Mr. Barton confirmed the Navy has provided affected property owners with alternate sources of drinking water, including bottled water and water delivery. He said officials are working with residents to determine a long-term solution.”
Read the full article by Elise Clouser