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.
Introduction
Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are a family of thousands of different chemicals that have been widely used in industrial and consumer products since the 1950s. PFAS are man-made and 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. Once these compounds are released, they break down very slowly.
In May 2016, the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued lifetime drinking water health advisories of 70 parts per trillion (ppt), individually or combined, for two PFAS, perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS). Health advisories are not enforceable, and are not regulatory levels; rather, they are levels that provide Americans, including sensitive populations, with a margin of protection from a lifetime of exposure.
In June 2016 the Department of the Navy developed a proactive policy to ensure the communities near Navy installations are not exposed to drinking water with PFOA and/or PFOS because of a known or potential Navy release of PFAS-containing materials. The Navy’s first priority with the investigations of past releases is to ensure that concentrations of PFOA or PFOS in drinking water are not above 70 ppt as a result of a Navy PFAS release. The most common activity that could have resulted in the historical release of PFOA, PFOS, and other 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. Because of this historical use, there is potential for PFOA, PFOS, and other PFAS to be in the groundwater on base, and may be present in nearby drinking water wells that are located in the direction that the groundwater flows away from the base.
In January 2023, the Navy released a new military specification for a formulation of AFFF that does not contain PFAS. Until products that meet this new military specification are available, the Navy will continue to use formulations that contain lower concentrations of PFOA and PFOS than many historical AFFF formulations and will continue to take steps to prevent or minimize additional release of firefighting foam to the environment.
On March 14, 2023, the EPA proposed a draft regulatory drinking water standard for certain PFAS, including PFOA and PFOS. In response, DoD has issued the following statement: The DoD respects and values the public comment process on this proposed nationwide drinking water rule and looks forward to the clarity that a final regulatory drinking water standard for PFAS will provide. In anticipation of the final standard that EPA expects to publish by the end of 2023, the Department is assessing what actions DoD can take to be prepared to incorporate EPA’s final regulatory standard into our current cleanup process, such as reviewing our existing data and conducting additional sampling where necessary. In addition, DoD will incorporate nationwide PFAS cleanup guidance, issued by EPA and applicable to all owners and operators under the federal cleanup law, as to when to provide alternate water when PFAS are present.
Off-Base Drinking Water Sampling Results NBK Bangor
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 2016 EPA lifetime health advisory level of 70 parts per trillion (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 70 ppt and will continue until a long-term solution is implemented. Table 1 and Figure 1 summarize the drinking water sampling results to date.
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Table 1. NBK Bangor Drinking Water Results as of Friday, June 9, 2023
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Number of parcels potentially impacted1
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Number of drinking water wells sampled
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Number of drinking water wells with no detections of PFOA and/or PFOS
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Number of drinking water wells with PFOA and/or PFOS detections above 70 ppt
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Number of drinking water wells with PFOA and/or PFOS detections below 70 ppt
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1,579
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342
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246
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2
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94
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1 Includes developed and undeveloped/vacant lots and lots served by public water.
Figure 1. NBK Bangor Drinking Water Results as of Friday, June 9, 2023
The Navy has conducted an evaluation of potential long-term solutions for the property with continued PFAS concentrations above 70 ppt near NBK Bangor and is presenting for public comment an Engineering Evaluation and Cost Analysis (EE/CA) to evaluate long-term solutions for impacted drinking water wells near NBK Bangor. The EE/CA is available for public comment from June 12 to July 12, 2023.
Identification of PFAS at NBK Bangor
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. In early 2023 sample collection and analysis of groundwater and soil was completed at these areas in support of the SI, final validated data is not yet available, but the Navy will continue on-base PFAS investigations and evaluate the need for ongoing actions on base. These are listed below in Table 2.
Table 2. Potential PFAS Source Areas at NBK Bangor
| 1 |
Building 1301 |
| 2 |
Building 1300 |
| 3 |
1986 Fire Training Facility |
| 4 |
Building 7600 |
| 5 |
2001 Car Fire |
| 6 |
Car Crash |
| 7 |
2001 Agility Course Fire |
| 8 |
Brush Fire |
| 9 |
Building 1006 Fire |
| 10 |
Helipad |
| 11 |
2012 Car Fire |
| 12 |
Building 7030 |
| 13 |
Site A |
| 14 |
Dunnage Canyon (Site 12) |
| 15 |
Floral Point (Site B) |
| 16 |
Classification Yard |
| 17 |
Old Brass Yard (Site 13) |
| 18 |
Old Acid Pit (Site (E) |
| 19 |
Old Paint Can and Drum Disposal Site (Site 7) |
| 20 |
Old Paint Cans and Drum Disposal Site (Site 22) |
| 21 |
Incinerator Storage Area (Site 16) |
| 22 |
Building 1460 |