The Navy expects to have a decision on further well testing around Naval Air Station Oceana by the end of the summer, according to a defense official.
The Navy is currently assessing the need for additional sampling of private drinking water wells surrounding Oceana. One private well near NAS Oceana was offered an alternative source of drinking water, after an earlier round of testing. Households living near 55 bases around the country have been offered similar help.
The group of chemicals, known as PFAS, are used in firefighting foam, as well as a number of consumer products, such as non-stick cookware. The chemicals do not break down easily in the environment. Long term exposure has been linked to health effects, including certain cancers.
In September 2024, the Department of Defense adopted a stricter standard for the amount of these chemicals allowed in drinking water, based on a standard created by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
Private wells around hundreds of military facilities around the country are now being re-tested. Locally, the Navy has already begun sampling private drinking water wells near NSA Hampton Roads Northwest Annex and Naval Auxiliary Landing Field Fentress.
The Pentagon estimates it would cost $9.3 billion to clean up the 718 sites which have been identified as having potential PFAS contamination. The Department of Defense has spent $2.6 billion since 2017 to address the release of forever chemicals. The cost is expected to continue to increase, according to a Government Accountability Office report released in February.
The GAO recommended that the military file a semi-annual report to Congress on the cost of cleanup. A bipartisan group of lawmakers also recently introduced a bill that would require the military to update the progress of the cleanup at each site around the country.
