Navy finds 'forever chemicals' at MD bases near two Chesapeake rivers.
High PFAS levels found in groundwater at Patuxent River air station and airfield on St. Mary's River.
The U.S. Navy has reported finding high concentrations of toxic “forever chemicals” in groundwater beneath its Patuxent River air base in Southern Maryland and beneath a smaller airfield nearby on the St. Mary’s River.
Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS, were detected in all 16 areas sampled last year at Naval Air Station Patuxent River and at both areas checked at the Webster Field annex, the Navy disclosed in a 50-page document recently posted online. The shallow groundwater contaminated by PFAS seeps into “nearby streams and rivers,” the Navy document says. The Patuxent River is a tributary of the Chesapeake Bay, while the St. Mary’s River flows into the Potomac River, another Bay tributary.
The sprawling Patuxent River facility includes headquarters for the Naval Air Systems Command and a test range for aircraft and pilots. Webster Field is a 1,000-acre naval air research facility a dozen miles to the south with its own smaller airfield.
Public concern about PFAS contamination around the facilities has been heightened since early 2020. That’s when Pat Elder, an environmental activist in St. Mary’s County, reported that a private lab test of water from the tidal creek separating his home from Webster Field found an elevated concentration of PFAS.'>>>
https://www.bayjournal.com/news/pollution/navy-finds-forever-chemicals-at-md-bases-near-two-chesapeake-rivers/article_7fda3a94-9e5f-11eb-9b6a-efd7327dbf09.html?