The U.S. Navy is requesting permission to sample water obtained from drinking water wells located within the sampling areas near Naval Base Kitsap-Bangor to test for certain per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, commonly known as PFAS.
Property owners with drinking water wells in the sampling areas and have not previously had their well tested by the Navy may request sampling by calling the number below and leaving a message or by emailing the address provided. Appointments are available from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. starting May 19 to May 30, 2025.
If your drinking water is provided by a public water provider in the sampling area, the Navy has already sampled or offered to sample the water and does not need to sample at your individual property.
To schedule a sampling appointment, ask a question, or request additional information, please call 1-844-625-2647 (844-NBK-BNGR) and leave a message or email bangorpfas@jacobs.com.
Off-Base Private Drinking Water Time-Critical Removal Action for Enduring Solutions
Introduction
Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are a family of thousands of different chemicals which have been widely used in industrial and consumer products since the 1950s. The Navy and Department of Defense (DoD) have developed proactive policies to address past releases of PFAS, including perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS), at installations nationwide.
PFAS have been used 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 most common activity associated with the historical release of PFAS to the environment at Naval Base Kitsap-Bangor (NBK-Bangor) (Figure 1) 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 the groundwater on-base and have been detected in nearby off-base drinking water wells that are located in the direction that the groundwater flows away from the base.
On April 26, 2024, the U.S. 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 rule applies to public drinking water systems. Operators of public drinking water systems regulated by the NPDWR have five years to meet these standards. The DoD’s September 2024 memorandum, “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 action levels in EPA’s drinking water rule into DoD’s ongoing PFAS cleanups and prioritize interim actions to address private drinking water wells with the highest action levels of PFAS from the DoD’s activities.
Table 1 shows the DoD PFAS interim action levels for private drinking water wells. To learn more about the DoD’s September 2024 memorandum, the November 19, 2024, DoD PFAS Outreach Event can be found here.
The Navy continues to follow the policy it issued in June 2016 to conduct investigations at installations where there has been a known or suspected release of PFAS to the environment. The policy can be found here.
Off-Base Drinking Water Well Sampling Near NBK-Bangor
Due to the September 2024 policy, the Navy re-evaluated on-base groundwater results and off-base drinking water well results to determine whether certain PFAS are at or above the DoD PFAS interim action levels for private drinking water wells (Table 1). Based on this information, the Navy has determined that additional sampling is needed in certain areas near NBK-Bangor (Figure 2).
Figure 1: Location Map of NBK-Bangor
At this time, the Navy is requesting permission to sample off-base drinking water wells located in certain areas (Figure 2) that have not previously been sampled by the Navy. Records indicate that some properties within certain areas use public drinking water. If your drinking water is provided by a public water provider in the sampling area, the Navy has already sampled or offered to sample the water and does not need to sample at your individual property.
Figure 2: NBK-Bangor Off-Base Sampling Areas
Actions Based on Off-Base Drinking Water Sampling Results
The Navy will address PFAS in private drinking water wells in keeping with DoD policy.
The preliminary results from the off-base drinking water well sampling near NBK-Bangor are expected approximately 30 days after collecting the samples. The Navy provides notification to the property owners and tenants of their drinking water results and any follow-up actions, if needed.
For drinking water wells with PFOA and PFOS, individually or combined, above 70 ppt, the Navy will provide bottled water for drinking and cooking to property owners or tenants until an enduring solution, such as connection to public water supply or installation of a treatment system, is implemented. If the Navy samples your drinking water well, and PFAS in your drinking water well are at or above the DoD PFAS interim action levels for private drinking water wells, the Navy will provide an enduring solution as soon as possible.
2020 - 2024 Off-Base Drinking Water Well Sampling
Between 2020 and 2024, the Navy sampled off-base drinking water wells based on information that was available at that time about potential PFAS releases at NBK-Bangor. The 2020-2024 sampling area, shown in Figure 2, was initially established one mile in the direction that groundwater flows away from the potential release areas in February 2020 (shown in Figure 2) and was expanded due to private drinking water wells above 70 ppt in October 2020, the DoD interim action level at that time. Table 2 provides a summary of the results of the sampling. Table 3 presents the specific PFAS results for drinking water wells sampled near NBK-Bangor from 2020-2024. There were two detections of PFOA and/or PFOS above 70 ppt. The Navy has confirmed that there are seven wells with detections at or above the DoD PFAS interim action levels for private drinking water wells, including the two wells above 70 ppt, the DoD's interim action level at the time, four wells that will receive enduring solutions as soon as possible, and one that has already been connected to the SWD on their own accord.
During the initial on-base field investigation additional information about groundwater flow direction was obtained. The local groundwater flow direction from Buildings 1300 (Fire Station 61) and 1301 (fire-fighting training area) was observed to the northeast, rather than southeast as anticipated before the field investigation. In addition, PFOS and/or PFOA were detected in five on-base groundwater monitoring wells above 70 ppt. A portion of the off-base area within one mile downgradient (northeast) of the wells at Building 1300 and 1301 was not part of the drinking water sampling conducted from 2020 to April 2023. Therefore, in accordance with the Navy's policy, a fall 2023 off-base drinking water sampling area was established one mile downgradient from the locations where PFOA and/or PFOS were detected above 70 ppt.
Hazard Index = Sum of PFNA, PFHxS, HFPO-DA, and PFBS ratios, where there are two or more detects. Calculated in accordance with EPA guidance https://www.epa.gov/system/files/documents/2024-04/pfas-npdwr_fact-sheet_hazard-index_4.8.24.pdf
1 Displays the highest detected value of each PFAS analyte shown on this table per drinking water well sampled. Sample numbers demonstrate the number of wells that have been sampled but do not correspond to a specific property.
ND = not detected
NC = hazard index not calculated because two or more of PFNA, PFHxS, HFPO-DA, and PFBS are needed to be
detected in order to calculate the hazard index.
J = laboratory estimated value
Identification of PFAS Releases at NBK-Bangor
An initial screening of potential release areas was finalized in 2020 in support of a PFAS Preliminary Assessment (PA) for NBK-Bangor. The PA evaluated 35 areas and identified 23 as potential PFAS release areas for investigation as part of a Site Inspection (SI). Field investigations were completed in 2022 at or near 22 potential release (Figure 2). Of the 22 potential PFAS release areas, four sites were recommended for Remedial Investigation (RI) and 18 were recommended for no further investigation at this time (Table 4). One potential release area, Floral Point, was not investigated during the SI because investigation would damage the landfill cap. The RI has started and field investigations are planned to occur in 2025. The Navy will continue investigating PFAS at NBK-Bangor and will evaluate if additional actions are needed.
For additional information or questions, please contact the NAVFAC Northwest Public Affairs Officer at (360) 340-5592 or navfacnwpao@us.navy.mil.