Suspected contamination source: Firefighting foam used at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst (Shea, 2017)
Testing conducted by the Department of Defense (DOD) in 2016 showed two wells that serve the base have combined PFOS and PFOA levels as high as 264,300 parts per trillion — 3,775 times the federally recommended level of 70 ppt. In the Lakehurst wells, the highest level was 215 parts per trillion.
Military records show that tens of millions of gallons of water from the two contaminated wells on the joint base were used to supply drinking water to base workers and residents over the past decade, despite base officials stating that the wells were used only to back up the main well.
Additional Resources
Media Coverage:
- Joint Base reports high levels of two hazardous chemicals in water
- Records show millions of gallons of water used from contaminated wells on joint base
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.