Navy wants to test wells near sub base

GROTON, Conn. — The U.S. Navy is seeking to test private drinking wells near the Connecticut submarine base for potentially dangerous industrial compounds known as “forever chemicals.”

Navy officials say they’re trying to determine whether certain chemicals used at the Groton submarine base migrated through groundwater to private drinking levels at unsafe levels.

Officials will be testing for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, known collectively as PFAS. Authorities say the most common Navy use of the chemicals has been in a firefighting foam.

The chemicals have been linked to various health risks, including developmental issues in children and decreased liver, thyroid and immune system function.

The Navy has scheduled a public meeting on the proposed water sampling on Sept. 17 in Groton.

A state task force is reviewing levels of the chemicals across Connecticut.

RELATED

Here’s an updated map of military sites where DoD found cancer-causing chemicals in the drinking water

The advocacy group’s interactive map of all the sites includes information about the contamination in drinking water and groundwater.

By Karen Jowers

Navy Times editor’s note: They’re talking about Naval Submarine Base New London, a portion of which was verified in 1988 to suffer from chemical contamination. In 1995, the Navy, EPA and the Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection entered into an agreement designed to clean up the site. A record of decision as an EPA Superfund site was filed two years later. To learn more, NAVFAC has a good website or you can use the EPA library.

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