Suspected contamination source: Firefighting foam used at Dover Air Force Base (Mordock, 2016)
Groundwater at the Dover Air Force Base is contaminated with per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs), but no off-base drinking water contamination has been found as of September 2016 according to the ATSDR. The Department of Defense sampled onsite and most off-site wells, and asked EPA to test one off-site well. PFAS in the groundwater are likely a result of past use of aqueous film-forming firefighting foams (AFFF) in the area.
Groundwater at the base was reviewed as part of testing 664 other military installations nationwide where fire or crash training using the foam have occurred. Three locations associated with the Dover Air Force Base are being tested, according to a list of sites provided to the Associated Press.
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