The Department of Defense (DoD) is vowing to speed up the cleanup of "forever chemicals" at military bases nationwide in response to new drinking water standards set by the EPA.

In April, the EPA established strict limits for five types of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in drinking water. The DoD, which has found PFAS contamination at hundreds of its installations, says it will take swift action to address the problem. 

"The Department recognizes the need to take quick actions to address PFAS in drinking water," the DoD's assistant secretary wrote in a memorandum for the assistant secretaries of the Army, Navy, Air Force and the Director of the National Guard Bureau. "To ensure cleanup begins as quickly as possible, the DoD Components will initiate removal actions to address private drinking water wells impacted by PFAS from DoD activities where concentrations are known to be at or above three times the maximum contaminant level (MCL) values."

The DoD plans to focus first most on contaminated wells near DoD sites, remediating any with PFAS levels three times higher than the EPA's new standards (i.e., PFOA = 12 ppt; PFOS = 12 ppt; PFHxS = 30 ppt; GenX = 30 ppt; PFNA = 30 ppt; HI = 3). It will provide alternative water sources, such as connections to public water systems or home treatment systems, to affected residents. Bottled water will be supplied in some cases.

The DoD also intends to work with public water systems that have been impacted by PFAS from military activities to help them meet the EPA's new standards by 2029.

As of March 31, 2024, the DoD has completed preliminary assessments/site inspections to evaluate potential releases of PFAS from DoD activities at 710 of 717 installations. The DoD identified 578 installations that require further investigation. The DoD has initiated remedial investigations at over 350 of these installations and plans to begin over 150 more within the next two fiscal years. 

DoD said it is prioritizing drinking water wells, including private drinking water wells located off-base, at the 55 installations with levels of PFOS and PFOA above 70 ppt.  

The cleanup effort will be carried out under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA), a federal law that governs the cleanup of hazardous waste sites. The DoD will work with the EPA and state regulators to determine the appropriate cleanup levels for each site, taking into account the natural background levels of PFAS in the environment.

The DoD believes its approach is the best way to protect human health and the environment in the long term.

"DoD believes this is the best approach for the long-term protection of human health and the environment and the Department will continue to accelerate DoD's cleanup efforts," the agency wrote in the memorandum. It directed the branches of the military to be proactive in communications as well.

"The Military Departments will ensure that robust communication occurs before, during, and after actions are taken to address PFAS on and around DoD installations," the report concluded.

DoD continues to review existing data and collect new information to assess where PFAS plumes may have migrated from an installation and impacted drinking water and will be prioritizing those locations for response actions as the next step.