HYANNIS – Barnstable Town Councilors approved $95,000 Thursday night to fund the costs associated with a scope of work required by the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection at Barnstable Municipal Airport.
MassDEP officials notified the Airport in November that water well contamination in Hyannis may be partly their responsibility.
Compounds used in firefighting foam were detected in the groundwater “at or near” the airport and MassDEP said that the Airport may have liability for the cleanup and related costs.
Firefighting foams that contained chemicals of “emerging concern” were previously used at the airport.
“There had been a release to the environment of 1, 4-dioxane and perfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) and that the contamination had impacted groundwater that supplies the Maher Public Water Supply Wells, and that the airport is a possible disposable site,” said Airport Manager Bud Breault.
Chemicals from foams used at the Barnstable County Fire and Rescue Training Academy were believed to be responsible for water well closures in Hyannis last year.
Contamination detected last year in the Maher Wells was addressed by blending water from the Yarmouth public water supply system.
In its notice to the airport, the MassDEP said they will be required to use a licensed site professional to manage and supervise any necessary response actions.
The airport recently directed Horsley Witten to proceed with preliminary tasks in the scope of work required by MassDEP, but $95,000 was needed to complete all the tasks.
“The funding used in this appropriation will allow completion in ongoing studies in the contamination assessment,” said Breault.
By JUSTIN SAUNDERS and MATT PITTA, CapeCod.com Newscenter
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