PFAS Overview

PFAS, or per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, are a family of thousands of different chemicals that have been used since the 1950s in many household and industrial products because of their stain- and water- repellent properties. PFAS are now present virtually everywhere in the world because of the large amounts that have been manufactured and used. Once these compounds are released, many of them tend to stay in the environment for a very long time. The Navy and Department of Defense (DoD) have developed policies to address past releases of PFAS at installations nationwide.

The most common activity that could have resulted in the historical release of PFAS to the environment at Navy installations is the use of firefighting foam (specifically, aqueous film-forming foam, or AFFF) for testing, training, firefighting, and other life-saving emergency responses. Due to this historical use, PFAS are present in former Naval Air Station (NAS) Memphis groundwater and may also be present in nearby off-base drinking water wells located in the direction that groundwater flows away from former NAS Memphis.

On April 26, 2024, the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued a final National Primary Drinking Water Regulation (NPDWR) establishing nationwide drinking water standards for certain PFAS under the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA). The regulation applies to public drinking water systems. Operators of public drinking water systems regulated by the NPDWR have five years to meet these standards.

In September 2024, DoD published “Prioritization of Department of Defense Cleanup Actions to Implement the Federal Drinking Water Standards for Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances Under the Defense Environmental Restoration Program” which describes DoD’s plans to incorporate the EPA’s drinking water regulation into DoD’s ongoing PFAS cleanups and prioritize actions to address private drinking water wells with the highest levels of PFAS from DoD activities.  Table 1 shows the DoD PFAS interim action levels in private drinking water wells.

For long-term remedial actions, DoD will work with EPA and state regulators on a site-specific basis to determine final cleanup levels, in accordance with the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA) and related EPA policies.  For the above DoD PFAS interim action levels in private drinking water wells, the Navy will work with property owners to provide an enduring solution, such as a treatment system or connection to a public water supply, as soon as possible.  If PFOA and PFOS are detected above 70 ppt in off-base private drinking water wells, the Navy will provide bottled water for drinking and cooking until an enduring solution is implemented.