JOINT BASE CAPE COD – The EPA announced it will perform a comprehensive review of contamination cleanup efforts at Joint Base Cape Cod this year.
The process is part of a required five-year review to make sure that completed remediation efforts are still protecting the public.
The EPA states that parts of Cape Cod’s sole source aquifer were previously contaminated by fuel spills and past training activities at the base.
The aquifer provides drinking water for 200,000 year-round and 500,000 seasonal residents in the area.
A past update from the Massachusetts National Guard outlined the continued treatment of the plumes, which are contaminated bodies of groundwater.
EPA officials note that the five-year review process of Superfund sites is part of safeguarding the public and the environment.
“It is important for EPA to regularly check on these sites to ensure the remedy is working properly and Massachusetts communities continue to be protected,” said EPA New England Regional Administrator David W. Cash.
The Superfund program is a federal initiative that investigates and cleans up challenging and abandoned hazardous waste sites in the U.S.
The ‘forever chemicals’ PFAS were discovered on the base’s fire training area back in 2014.
A sole source aquifer review is also being completed by the EPA to determine if plans for a multi-purpose machine gun range on the base could damage water quality and pose health risks.
Other nearby five-year review sites include a location next to Plymouth Harbor and Sullivan’s Ledge in New Bedford.
The EPA’s findings from the five-year review of the joint base will be made available on the agency’s website once completed.
By Brian Engles, CapeCod.com NewsCenter.
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