7,000 gallons of PFAS-contaminated water sparks investigation at Cannon Air Force Base

CURRY COUNTY, N.M. (KRQE) – The United States Department of the Air Force is investigating the release of thousands of gallons of contaminated water at Cannon Air Force Base. According to the Air Force base, about 7,000 gallons of water containing per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) were dumped into a lined retention pond on the base between July 9 and July 15.

The contaminated water ended up in the pond after being removed from emergency vehicles while the Air Force was trying to “eliminate legacy PFAS-containing Aqueous Film Forming Foam (AFFF) from its inventory,” according to the base.

Officials said leaders were notified of the issue in early August and immediately removed all water from the pond. However, an independent inspector hired to take a look at the pond’s liner later found that there had been multiple tears in the liner, meaning PFAS could have seeped into the surrounding ground.

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Base officials said drinking water was not impacted, because any potential contamination of the groundwater was caught by an existing groundwater pump and treatment system. As the investigation continues, the Air Force plans to move all waste containing PFAS to a secure area to be inventoried and properly disposed of.

Col. Robert Johnston, a 27th Special Operations Wing and Cannon AFB commander, said, “We understand the concerns of our community, our Airmen, and their families. Please know that we are working expeditiously to address the affected area. We are committed to taking all necessary steps to ensure such incidents do not happen again in the future.”

The base said that the impacted area will be sampled to inform any corrective measures needed. The investigation aims to uncover the cause of the improper deposit of contaminated water into the retention pond.

Johnson has appointed a task force to review environmental compliance training and “ensure strict adherence to applicable requirements moving forward.” The Department of the Air Force plans to update community members at its next PFAS public meeting, which is scheduled for November 12.

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