Suspected contamination source: Firefighting foam used at Joint Air Force Base Cape Cod (Cape Cod Times, 2016)
Fuel tanker crashes occurred in 1997 and 2000. One tanker spilled hundreds of gallons of jet fuel, the other leaked a similar amount of gasoline. In each incident, it took several months for the areas to be thoroughly cleaned up. In both incidents, firefighters from Joint Base Cape Cod sprayed firefighting foam on the spilled fuel to prevent it from catching fire. Chemicals in the foam include PFOS and PFOA
The AFFF sprayed at these accidents, in addition to firefighting training likely contributed to the contamination of nearby groundwater.
The geology of Cape Cod makes its groundwater sources extremely susceptible to contamination. In parts of Massachusetts with clay or rocky soil, ground water can take a decade or more to travel a foot underground, depending on the geology. In some parts of Cape Cod, ground water travels a foot a day, and in many places the water table sits less than 10 feet below the surface.
Additional Resources:
Recreational Use of Waterbodies On or Near Joint Base Cape Cod (JBCC)
Media Coverage:
- Air Force reacts to contaminated Falmouth water wells
- Boston Globe: Cape Cod’s big drinking water problem
- Pollutants Found In Neighborhood’s Well Water
- Upper Cape base water samples show contamination
Full citations are available on the second page of the full contamination site tracker. We ask for your additions, changes, questions and comments be sent to pfasproject@gmail.com.