Dover: Drinking Water Not Affected by Contaminants

Perfluorinated compounds, or PFCs, have been found in shallow groundwater at four sites on Dover AFB, Del., but base officials said drinking water is not contaminated, reported Stars and Stripes. Some of the base’s shallow ground water and surface drainage ditches registered levels of the chemical—used in firefighting foam—higher than those recommended by the Environmental Protection Agency. But officials say the base’s drinking water comes from a “deep confined groundwater aquifer that is isolated from the aquifer where the contaminants were found,” according to the article. Several years ago, the base completed cleanup projects to address contaminants (mostly petroleum, volatile organic compounds (VOCs), and to a lesser extent, metals and pesticides) found in shallow groundwater. According to the EPA, no contaminants have ever been reported in the well system that supplies the drinking water for over 10,000 people on the base. Dover officials are still determining whether cleanup efforts for the recent contaminant discovery will be necessary.