The US Air Force will comply with an order from the Environmental Protection Agency to clean up groundwater at the Pease International Tradeport. A chemical family known as PFCs were discovered there, above the EPA threshold in the spring of 2014.
In a statement, the Air Force Civil Engineer Center announced they had already resumed operation of a water treatment system; they have funded studies to evaluate new drinking water sites, and will develop wells to intercept the contaminants - -which are already leaching into the neighboring Harrison and Smith wells.
The EPA had ordered the Air Force to clean up the contaminated groundwater in early July. Later last month, US Senators Kelly Ayotte and Jeanne Shaheen both urged the Air Force to comply – and quickly. Now, the Air Force has agreed to act.
The so-called perfluorochemicals are designated by the EPA a contaminant of “emerging concern,” and likely come from firefighting foam used by the Air Force between the 1970’s and 1990’s.
