PFAS Videos

NM asks military to 'come in line ' with the Biden administration

New Mexico Environment Department Secretary James Kenney has asked the U.S. Department of Defense to drop its lawsuit against the state over cleanup of contaminated groundwater at military bases in New Mexico, given the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's plans to allow states to regulate four types of PFAS as hazardous waste. The secretary offers an update on that lawsuit, as well as what we know--and don't know--about the plume of contaminated water in Clovis, N.M.

NM Ag Secretary on PFAS

New Mexico Department of Agriculture Secretary Jeff Witte spoke to correspondent Laura Paskus about the military’s contamination of groundwater in New Mexico—and specifically, about how PFAS contamination from firefighting foams used for decades at Cannon Air Force Base have affected Highland Dairy owner Art Schaap, who says he has been dumping milk since 2018, when the U.S. Air Force notified him it had contaminated the water that supplies his home, dairy, and employee housing.

Former Air Force Firefighter Kevin Ferrara Talks PFAS Contamination

Kevin Ferrara, a retired U.S. Air Force firefighter, spoke to correspondent Laura Paskus from his home in Pennsylvania. Ferrara trained at Chanute Air Force Base in Illinois, in 1991 and was assigned to Cannon Air Force Base in Clovis, N.M. until 1995.

Rep. Teresa Leger Fernandez on Congressional PFAS Efforts

New Mexico's Congresswoman from the Third Congressional District recently stopped by the station to talk about her ongoing efforts to deal with the dangerous PFAS chemicals.

Reporters on the Challenges of Covering PFAS

New Mexico isn’t the only state trying to compel the U.S. military to clean up the waters it has polluted with toxic chemicals known as PFAS. Nationwide, the military has contaminated almost 700 communities. As part of our series, Groundwater War, correspondent Laura Paskus talks with reporters Garret Ellison and Michael Sol Warren, to hear what's happening in Michigan & New Jersey.

The Struggle for PFAS Accountability

In June 2021, New Mexico’s top environment official testified before Congress, asking for federal help when it comes to addressing the cleanup of PFAS from Cannon and Holloman Air Force bases. Meanwhile, the U.S. Air Force announced a pilot project to test water treatment options at Cannon, a plant that’s expected to begin operations in 2023. Correspondent Laura Paskus checks in with Air Force official Christipher Gierke and also, New Mexico Environment Department Secretary James Kenney for the latest on what’s happening here in the state with these toxic substances.

NMED Secretary James Kenney on PFAS

New Mexico's environmental regulators learned from the Air Force in 2018 that it had contaminated local waters with PFAS from fire fighting foams used at Cannon and Holloman Air Force bases. Since that time, the state has been sued by the U.S. Department of Defense for trying to compel the military to clean up that pollution--and in June, the Biden administration's DOD called New Mexico's attempts to compel cleanup under one of the military's permits "arbitrary and capricious." Meanwhile, Kenney is also asking the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for help in setting federal pollution standards for the toxic substances.

Air Force's Christipher Gierke on 'pump and treat' plan

In June, the U.S. Air Force announced a $16.6 million contract to build a pilot water treatment plant at the southeastern corner of Cannon Air Force Base, to test three different options for removing PFAS from the groundwater. If all goes according to plan, the "pump and treat" plant will begin operations in 2023.

Senator Ben Ray Luján Talks PFAS in New Mexico

New Mexico Sen. Ben Ray Luján spoke with New Mexico in Focus correspondent Russell Contreras, who had a couple of questions about PFAS. New Mexico’s Democratic members of Congress have been vocal about the military’s need to address groundwater contamination from Cannon Air Force Base. That contamination is the result of the military's use of aqueous film forming foam (AFFF) containing PFAS. “We had a lot of frustrations, many of us in New Mexico’s delegation, under the previous administration,” Luján said. “President Trump's Administration was not a willing partner in us moving policies.

Senator Martin Heinrich Talks PFAS in New Mexico

Senator Martin Heinrich (D-NM) talks with Our Land Correspondent Laura Paskus about the latest developments regarding PFAS contamination around several military installations across New Mexico.

Cannon Air Force Base Officials - PFAS Update

Officials from Cannon Air Force Base talk with Groundwater War Correspondent Laura Paskus about the latest on their efforts to identify the extent of PFAS contamination in and around the base near Clovis, NM.

Art Schaap’s Dairy Dilemma

In 2018, the U.S. Air Force revealed that its specialized firefighting foams had poisoned groundwater near Cannon and Holloman Air Force bases with chemicals known as PFAS, or per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances. That included the water Art Schaap was pumping for his home and his dairy in Clovis. Since then, Schaap has been pumping and dumping the milk from his cows at his dairy just outside the base. He’s also suing the government for damage done to his livelihood.

Why Care About PFAS Contamination?

2020 has had its fair share of challenges, including the COVID-19 pandemic, economic insecurity and political unrest. So, why should New Mexicans care about the PFAS groundwater contamination near a handful of military installations across the state?

What are PFAS?

Human-made per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances are found in lots of common items. Their carbon-fluorine bonds make them useful, but also dangerous. What are PFAS and how do they harm humans?

PFAS at Holloman Air Force Base

In November 2018, the Air Force notified the New Mexico Environment Department that tests conducted in late 2017 showed the presence of PFAS, or per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, in surface and ground water at the base. Samples at Holloman were as high as 1,294,000 parts per trillion, whereas the human health advisory—for a lifetime drinking water exposure to PFAS—is 70 parts per trillion. The state issued a Notice of Violation against the military and called for cleanup, but the U.S. Department of Defense sued the state.

Questions remain about PFAS pollution from Holloman

This fall, we asked to meet with experts at Holloman Air Force Base about water contamination from PFAS, or per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances.

In seeking to talk with base officials, we were particularly interested in learning more about a few key issues, including:

How the groundwater contamination has moved since testing was completed in late 2017, and where the PFAS plume is predicted to move in the coming years,
What outreach the Air Force has done to help military personnel and families, as well as residents, understand the contamination and the risks to exposure from PFAS,
Whether military firefighters who used aqueous film forming foam have been tested for PFAS exposure, and
What the timeline is for the cleanup of PFAS pollution at Holloman Air Force Base.

These aren’t necessarily new questions. But they remain largely unanswered.

In November 2018, the Air Force notified the New Mexico Environment Department that tests conducted in late 2017 showed the presence of toxic PFAS in surface and ground water. The PFAS came from the use of aqueous film forming foam—foam used to extinguish fires and train firefighters. And that PFAS, in turn, made its way into soils, groundwater, and surface waters like Lake Holloman, which is fed by wastewater from the base.

PFAS samples at Holloman were as high as 1,294,000 parts per trillion. The human health advisory—for a lifetime drinking water exposure to PFAS—is 70 parts per trillion.

The state of New Mexico issued a notice against the military for violating the state’s Water Quality Act, and the U.S. Department of Defense sued New Mexico, challenging the state’s authority. In turn, the state filed another lawsuit, asking a federal judge to compel the military to clean up PFAS plumes below Holloman and also Cannon Air Force Base. At the time, the state was seeking quick action. But the case was moved to multi-district litigation and a court in South Carolina which is overseeing all cases regarding PFAS and the military’s use of aqueous film forming foam—more than 750 separate cases. To speed up action, the state requested to pull itself out from that multi-district litigation. But in September, the judge denied that request.

At Holloman, the military has reiterated that drinking water supplies have not been contaminated. But the state of New Mexico still wants the pollution contained and cleaned. In 2019, NMED Secretary James Kenney pointed out that state regulations “don’t distinguish between water that’s usable for drinking today, and water that’s usable for drinking tomorrow.”

And it’s not only water. The November 2018 report also lists other ways people might have been or could be exposed to PFAS.

According to the report, for example, contact with contaminated sediment can affect “on-base personnel, grounds maintenance workers, utility workers, construction workers, site visitors, trespassers and/or recreational users of Lake Holloman,” as well as people engaged in maintenance or recreational activities at Apache Mesa Golf Course.

Holloman Lake is fed by wastewater from the base, but its adjoining wetland has become an important stopover for migrating birds and until recently was open to the public as a camping spot and recreational area.

In short, it’s a complicated situation and we have a lot of questions. We hoped to find more answers and help people better understand what’s happening and what the future holds.

But Holloman personnel would not meet with us in person, nor be interviewed via Zoom.

Throughout the course of our reporting—and despite pending lawsuits—state officials have joined us for interviews, and provided additional information about contamination. But Holloman officials told NMPBS that “[d]ue to ongoing litigation, personnel will not be conducting interviews.”

We asked for clarification, and received this emailed answer: “Whenever there is ongoing litigation we are limited to what information we can provide to the public or media. By submitting your inquiry in writing, it allows us to have our responses reviewed and approved by a number of subject matter experts from different units at Holloman and at a higher level. We also vet our responses through our Legal team and by our Wing Commander.”

Below, we have pasted the answers to our emailed questions.

Q1. What is the known extent of the contamination and its predicted spread?

A1. The Air Force is planning additional efforts consistent with the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980 (CERCLA) process to define the nature and extent of PFOS/PFOA impact at Holloman. These future efforts will help determine nature and extent of the contamination, and inform any needed remedial actions.

Currently, the USAF is prioritizing response actions to PFOS/PFOA contamination based on impacts to drinking water sources. At this time, PFOS/PFOA at Holloman is not threatening drinking water sources. There are no drinking water sources down gradient from the five sites that tested above the drinking water Health Advisory Level.

Q2. What has been the Air Force's outreach to the community about the contamination and its cleanup?

A2. At Holloman, base leadership met with community stakeholders and adjacent land owners in December 2018 and January 2019 to discuss the results of the 2018 Site Investigation report.

Q3. What is the timeline for cleanup?

A3. Contamination of drinking water sources is a driving factor for cleanup requirements. Since PFOS/PFOA was only found in groundwater and does not affect Holloman’s drinking water supply, which comes from wells 12-35 miles southeast of the base, a timeline for cleanup is unknown at this time.

Q4. What is the potential exposure of military personnel, contractors, and families to the contamination via water on base, etc.

A4. The presence of PFOS/PFOA in groundwater underneath Holloman AFB does not impact drinking water sources at the base or the surrounding community. Drinking water for Holloman AFB comes from well fields located 12 to 35 miles southeast of the installation. These wells have been and continue to be tested and are free of PFOS/PFOA contamination.

Q5. What are the steps taken to identify military personnel who were directly exposed to the firefighting foams and determine if they were adversely affected by exposures?

A5. As directed by section 707 of the Fiscal Year 2020 National Defense Authorization Act, PFAS blood testing for DoD firefighters was made available during an individual's annual occupational medical examination beginning on October 1, 2020. While the blood test is available and offered to every firefighter as part of their annual occupational medical exam, the testing is not mandatory. A DoD-approved fact sheet is provided to every firefighter at the time of the blood testing and they are given the option to decline the test, or if tested, to view the results of their PFAS blood testing. All individual test results are retained in each firefighter's medical record. That information is protected medical information under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act and is not publicly releasable.

Q6. Can I have the current maps that show the plume's delineation?

A6. All data collected during the Preliminary Assessment and Site Investigation are accessible to the public on the Air Force’s administrative record. The intent of the SI was to determine presence and absence of constituents. The nature and extent of the impact is determined though the Remedial Investigation process.

Q7. Has there been testing since the original site assessment in 2017, to show how/where the contamination is moving?

A7. Because the presence of PFOS/PFOA in groundwater at Holloman AFB has not impacted drinking water sources, no additional testing has occurred.

Q8. How has the Air Force mitigated potential human exposure to PFOS and PFOA via soil contamination, as outlined in the 2018 site investigation report?

A8. The five areas identified with PFOS/PFOA have very limited access. The sewage lagoon site is completely fenced. The golf course area closed operations in April 2020 for financial reasons. The Evaporation Pond 2 is located in a highly controlled access area of the flight line operations. The fire training area is located in a remote area of the base and the current operations are conducted inside a fenced facility with limited access. The access gates to the Holloman Evaporation pond are closed.

Eastern New Mexico's PFAS Problem

In August 2018, the Air Force revealed there were PFAS in the soils and waters below Cannon Air Force Base. More than two years later, dairy farmers like Art Schaap are still waiting for relief, the drinking water utility in Clovis has shut down drinking water wells, and the military and the state of New Mexico are locked in legal battle over cleanup. Meanwhile, New Mexicans are footing the bill for more water studies to learn where the toxic chemicals are and how they're moving. And as groundwater levels continue to drop—due to decades of overpumping of the Ogallala Aquifer—the federal government is building a pipeline to bring more water to the region from the Canadian River and Ute Lake.

The Military's Legacy in New Mexico

Below Cannon and Holloman Air Force bases, waters are contaminated with toxic PFAS, which the state of New Mexico has tried to compel the military to map and clean. The Pentagon is also studying the possibility of PFAS contamination at Fort Wingate, the Army National Guard armories in Rio Rancho and Roswell, the Army Aviation Support Facility in Santa Fe, and White Sands Missile Range. While these toxic chemicals themselves might be considered new, issues of pollution, accountability, and transparency aren’t novel to the many New Mexico communities still facing the environmental and health consequences of uranium mining, nuclear weapons testing, and other types of pollution from military and weapons-related activities.

PFAS Testing Results in New Mexico

In cooperation with the New Mexico Environment Department, the U.S. Geological Survey tested groundwater and surface water in 16 counties to find where PFAS are present and which specific types of those toxic substances have found their way into the state’s waters. The tests did not reveal alarmingly high levels of the pollutants at any one site. But the presence of PFAS was widespread geographically, including in the Gila, San Juan, Pecos, Canadian, and Animas rivers, as well as the Rio Grande and the Rio Puerco. Given their toxicity—as well as the fact that they persist within waters, soils, and bodies “forever”—the results are notable. Ahead of the study's release, we spoke with Rebecca Roose, director of the Water Protection Division at NMED about the study.

Ask Us Anything - PFAS Contamination in New Mexico

Groundwater War Correspondent Laura Paskus talks to state officials about the ongoing groundwater contamination caused by PFAS chemicals tied to military installations across New Mexico.

Tom Udall Talks PFAS Contamination

Former New Mexico Senator Tom Udall (D) has been a champion of the environment for decades. He ended his long and storied career in Washington D.C. just a few days ago, but he spent some time with correspondent Laura Paskus recently to offer some insight and advice regarding the evolving story of groundwater contamination near at least 7 military installations across the state. This interview is part of @NMPBS's special investigation "Groundwater Wars."

Rep. Deb Haaland Talks PFAS Contamination

Representative Deb Haaland (CD1) has been nominated by President-Elect Joe Biden to head up the Department of the Interior under his administration. Until that nomination is confirmed, Haaland is still the sitting Congresswoman for New Mexico's First Congressional District. In both her current role and potential future role, she says protecting the environment will be a top priority. Rep. Haaland took a few minutes recently to talk with correspondent Laura Paskus about the evolving story of groundwater contamination near at least 7 military installations across the state. This interview is part of @NMPBS's special investigation "Groundwater Wars."

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