Due to new scientific data, the U.S. Navy is pursuing another round of sampling private drinking water wells in designated areas around Escambia County's three military bases.
It's part of the Navy's continuing effort to investigate and address health concerns and mitigate off-base PFAS contamination.
This past week, the Navy held a series of open houses to update the community on its work and provide details to homeowners, who live in affected areas near Naval Air Station Pensacola, Corry Station and Saufley Field.
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"The initial push to this effort actually started in late 2016 and early '17, when we sampled off-base drinking water before that," said James Spalding with the Navy's Environmental Restoration Group, reminding that this outreach has been ongoing for nearly a decade.
When the process started, the Environmental Protection Agency established a lifetime drinking water health advisory of 70 parts per trillion (ppt) for PFAS, including PFOA and PFOS. In 2024, EPA updated with stricter health advisories and regulatory limits.
"The follow-up to why we've come back to have another meeting to inform our neighbors of what's going on is the EPA issued a maximum contaminant level, an MCL," Spalding said. "And in response to that the DoD issued their action."
EPA's standard is now four parts per trillion. Comparatively, the Department of Defense established an Interim Action Level that's slightly higher or less stringent at 12 ppt.
"The DoD level is a little bit higher than the MCL, but that's because we're trying to get the biggest bang for our buck going forward," he explained. "We want to get the highest concentrations addressed first and then work down. We will get to the MCL later, but right now, we're focusing on the "worst first" setup."
Armed with new health guidelines and previous sampling data, the Navy wants to conduct testing on private drinking wells not previously sampled and retest others. Additionally, Spalding says they're requesting permission from identified homeowners to implement interim actions to address PFAS detected in the well water.
"The short-term solution is to install a point-of-entry treatment system, which is two canisters that sit outside the house that treat the water before it goes into the house, so that they're not exposed to the stuff that we already know we have in their water," Spalding said of the mitigation options. "The enduring solution long-term would be to hook them up to a municipal water source that's monitored on a daily-weekly basis."
Residents attending the open houses got a first-hand look at the water filtration system, which was on display. Also, there were numerous stations, with informational posters and subject experts to provide details and answer questions about the cleanup process.
Mary and Kenneth Kheel, who live near Saufley Field, were among the 17,000 people in the area who received a notice in the mail. They came to get an update on the mitigation effort and learn about the current health standard.
"You know, I wanted to find out what our numbers are and whether or not it's safe," said Mary Kheel. "We have a private drinking, well and that's the only source of water we have. And we have dogs, and we have a vegetable garden, too."
Exposure to PFAS could increase the risk of higher cholesterol levels, higher blood pressure in pregnant women and some cancers.
The Kheels had their well water sampled in 2019 and agreed to have it tested again, but, if necessary, they have different thoughts on potential solutions. She said she would not be opposed to hooking up to a public water system.
"No, I wouldn't. Now he prefers not to be, but I would like to be," she said referring to her husband.
Kenneth Kheel said it was "because of all of the crap they put into the water," referring to chemicals such as chloride, chlorine and fluoride, which Florida lawmakers have passed legislation to ban.
During the open house sessions at St. Anne's Catholic Church, Capt. Chandra Newman, Commanding Officer at NAS Pensacola, welcomed attendees. She said this process is about mitigating damage caused by the Defense Department's use of PFAS-containing firefighting foams and just being a good neighbor.
"We're gonna be here as long as it takes," Newman declared. "Like I said, it started in 2019. The EPA changed the standards for drinking water last year, so the Department of Defense, essentially, the Navy, we went right back to work with the old sampling sessions and expanded the area for new sampling opportunities, just to make sure we're absolutely addressing everybody's concerns."
So far, the Navy has addressed nearly 100 private wells. To encourage neighboring residents to sign up for sampling, Newman says there are four teams that will come out at any time.
For more information, visit the Navy's website on the local investigation.
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