Naval Base Kitsap (NBK) Bangor
NBK Bangor is on the Kitsap Peninsula in Kitsap County, Washington. The base is located on Hood Canal, approximately 6 miles north of Silverdale, Washington. Naval activities began at NBK Bangor in June 1944, when the U.S. Naval Magazine, Bangor, was established to provide a deep-water shipment facility for ordnance. From 1944 into the early 1970s, the Navy facility at Bangor was primarily used for shipment and storage of ordnance and demilitarization of unserviceable and dangerous ammunition. In February 1977, NBK Bangor was commissioned as the West Coast homeport for the Trident Submarine Launched Ballistic Missile System. The current mission of the base is to provide administrative and personnel support for submarine force operations and logistical support for other Navy activities.
Emergency Response Action
The Navy is taking an emergency response action at NBK Bangor to mitigate potential public exposure to per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), specifically perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) and perfluoroocatonoic acid (PFOA), in off-base drinking water wells near NBK Bangor, Silverdale, Washington.
Please send all comments to PAO_Feedback@navy.mil
Emergency Response Action Memo signed.pdf
Property owners in the designated sampling area near NBK Bangor whose drinking water has not been tested may request sampling by calling
1-844-NBKBNGR (1-844-625-2647)
Since February 2020, the Navy has sampled drinking water wells within designated areas near NBK Bangor for certain per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, commonly known as PFAS.
PFAS are a family of thousands of different chemicals which have been widely used in industrial and consumer products since the 1950s. The Navy developed a proactive policy to address past releases of PFAS at installations nationwide, as several PFAS are now of emerging public health concern to the Navy, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), state regulatory agencies, and the general public. The EPA has issued a drinking water lifetime health advisory for two commonly used and studied PFAS, perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) and perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA).
The most common Navy activity that could have resulted in the historical release of PFOS, PFOA, and other PFAS to the environment is the use of firefighting foam (specifically certain types of aqueous film-forming foam, or AFFF) for testing, training, firefighting, and other lifesaving emergency responses. Because of this historical use, there is potential for PFOS, PFOA, and other PFAS to be in the groundwater at the base, and also be present in nearby off-base drinking water wells located in the direction that the groundwater flows away from the base withinthe sampling areas, Figure 1 . In addition, because there were results above the EPA’s lifetime health advisory in two private drinking water wells sampled in the initial sampling effort, the Navy expanded the designated sampling area. The expanded sampling area, also shown in Figure 1, was selected because of general groundwater flow direction away from the two private drinking water wells above the EPA lifetime health advisory. (Out of respect for owner privacy, location-specific results will only be released by the Navy to the owners).
Fig. 1. Designated Sampling Area near NBK Bangor
NBK Bangor Actions Based on Drinking Water Sampling Results
Since historical operations at NBK Bangor included the use of AFFF, the Navy began drinking water sampling for certain PFAS in drinking water wells in the initial sampling area in February 2020. PFOS/PFOA were found above the EPA lifetime health advisory level of 70 ppt in two drinking water samples, so the Navy expanded the sampling area. The Navy provided bottled water for drinking and cooking for the two private drinking water wells with PFOS/PFOA above the EPA lifetime health advisory and will continue to do so until a long-term solution can be put in place. Table 1 summarizes the drinking water sampling results to date.
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Table 1. NBK Bangor – Drinking Water Results as of Friday August 6, 2021
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Number of parcels potentially impacted1
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Number of drinking water wells identified for testing based on voluntary owner requests
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Number of drinking water wells tested
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Number of drinking water wells above the lifetime health advisory
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Number of drinking water wells below the lifetime health advisory
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1,579
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342
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340
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2
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338
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1 Includes developed and undeveloped/vacant lots and lots served by public water
Identification of PFAS at NBK Bangor
The Navy’s priority with PFAS investigations is to identify and eliminate drinking water exposures above the EPA’s lifetime health advisory level.
Across the country, the Navy has been conducting base-wide evaluations to identify additional potential PFAS releases. These evaluations are being conducted under the federal cleanup program which meets the requirements of, the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA). Following CERCLA, the Navy’s installation-wide assessments are called preliminary assessments/site inspections, and their purpose is to verify, validate, and update the inventory of PFAS release sites aboard the installation for further investigation and cleanup. The recent preliminary assessment conducted at NBK Bangor identified 22 on-base areas where PFAS-related releases potentially occurred, and additional investigation is needed. These are listed below in Table 2.
NEW: Final Preliminary Assessment for Per- and Polyflouroalkyl Substances (PFAS)
Table 2. Potential PFAS Source Areas at NBK Bangor
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1
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Building 1301
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2
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Building 1300
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3
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1986 Fire Training Facility
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4
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Building 7600
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5
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2001 Car Fire
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6
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Car Crash
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7
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2001 Agility Course Fire
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8
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Brush Fire
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9
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Building 1006 Fire
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10
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Helipad
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11
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2012 Car Fire
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12
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Building 7030
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13
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Site A
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14
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Dunnage Canyon (Site 12)
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15
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Floral Point (Site B)
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16
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Classification Yard
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17
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Old Brass Yard (Site 13)
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18
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Old Acid Pit (Site (E)
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19
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Old Paint Can and Drum Disposal Site (Site 7)
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20
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Old Paint Cans and Drum Disposal Site (Site 22)
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21
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Incinerator Storage Area (Site 16)
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22
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Building 1460
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NBK Bangor Dinking Water Investigation Fact Sheet (May 2021)
NBK Bangor Drinking Water Investigation Fact Sheet (September 2020)
Press Release: Navy to conduct second round of water testing around NBK-Bangor
Naval Base Kitsap Bangor PFAS Drinking Water Investigation Fact Sheet
Frequently Asked Questions
EPA Drinking Water Health Advisory
Posters Displayed at Open House Meetings & Supporting Documents
May 2021 Virtual Open House Posters
Feb 19-20, 2020 Posters
Sept. 28-Nov. 7, 2020 Virtual Open House Posters
Drinking Water Sampling FAQ (September 2020)
Homeowner Questionnaire
Homeowner/Resident Contact Information
Phone: 844-NBKBNGR (844-625-2647)
email: PAO_Feedback@navy.mil
Media Contact
Phone: 360-627-4046
email: pao.nbk.cnrnw@navy.mil
News Release: Navy to sample private drinking water wells near NBK-Bangor for PFAS