Read the full article by Jeannette Hinkle (Cape Cod Times)
“The Barnstable County Fire and Rescue Training Academy is one of the most significant known sources of PFAS contamination in the area.
A firefighting foam used at the academy until at least 2014 contained PFAS, or per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, and the chemicals spread from the site to the nearby Hyannis drinking water supply.
In 2015, Barnstable officials closed two public drinking water wells off Mary Dunn Road after water testing showed the water had levels of a harmful PFAS compound called PFOS that exceeded a federal health advisory. A third well in the same field was later shut down after testing found the same issue. The wells were reopened after the town installed carbon treatment systems that reduced the amount of PFAS in the water to safe levels under current guidelines.
The two academy buildings slated for demolition were mainly used to train firefighters in responding to house fires, according to Tebo, who said the structures were known as the Green and Gray buildings. While firefighting foam containing PFAS wasn’t used inside the buildings, it was used outside of them, he added…”