Photo Courtesy: CapecodFD.com
BARNSTABLE – Earlier this month, Barnstable Town Manager Mark Ells participated in a panel discussion hosted by the Greater Hyannis Civic Association regarding the Barnstable County Fire Training Academy.
Water use at the Academy has been stopped as of last week, however classroom use at the academy will continue until a relocation plan is determined.
“Barnstable County officials did announce that outdoor fire training exercises would cease as of June 15th, 2019,” said Ells.
The town and Joint Base Cape Cod have identified a potential training site on the base.
Ells, along with the county are coordinating a meeting with the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection and the Environmental Protection Agency in late June to discuss the site cleanup.
Recently retired hydrogeologist, Tom Cabareri, said soil and water testing between 2013 and 2015 detected a wide plume of PFAS compounds around the training academy.
Hyannis had the highest PFAS level in the state and was in the top 0.1 percent of all samples tested nationally when the EPA tested well on Cape between 2013 and 2015.
Representative William Keating’s office District Policy Advisor Andrew Nelson met with Assistant Town Manager Andy Clyburn and Ells to discuss how they might assist on this matter.
“Our focus continues to be on the cleanup of the Barnstable County Fire Training Academy site,” Ells continued.
Ells also said the Barnstable DPW Water Supply Division is actively looking at alternative sites for potential new water supply wells.
Options currently include six priority sites, all of them close to Route 6 within the Town of Barnstable.
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