Water risk from fire foam

Drinking water at homes close to two New Zealand air bases is to be tested over concerns a fire-fighting spray foam may have contaminated supplies.

The foam was used in training by defence staff at Base Woodbourne, in Marlborough, and Ohakea, in Manawatu¯. Commercial airfields may also be affected.

Property owners around Woodbourne and Ohakea were told on Thursday defence staff wanted their consent to obtain water samples from wells, drains or streams on their properties for testing.

Environment Minister David Parker said government agencies were investigating potential water contamination around Woodbourne and Ohakea air bases.

Parker said levels of two chemical compounds, PFOS and PFOA, found by the NZ Defence Force (NZDF) were above guidelines for groundwater at these sites. The compounds were banned from use under the Stockholm Convention in 2006.

‘‘As a result we wish to test the water of properties neighbouring the bases, to see if their water is contaminated,’’ Parker said.

‘‘The advice of health officials, based on what we know right now, is that there is no acute human health risk, but it is prudent to test drinking water,’’ he said.

‘‘PFOS and PFOA were historically used to fight and train for flammable liquid fires but can no longer be imported or manufactured here. Neither NZDF nor the Fire and Emergency Service routinely use foams containing these compounds any more.

‘‘However, we are talking to other organisations whose firefighting activities may have used these compounds,’’ Parker said.

About 60 properties near the Ohakea air base, mostly dairy farms, could be affected by the contamination, a Ministry for the Environment spokesperson said. About 90 properties near Woodbourne could be affected. They would be offered an alternative water supply until the test results came in, likely in mid-January.

Parker said, as with many other contaminants, people were exposed to very small amounts of PFOS or PFOA in everyday life through a range of circumstances.

Scott Bishell grows grapes, cherries and vegetables and runs beef and sheep on 200 hectares adjacent to Base Woodbourne.

Bishell said on Thursday he had not received any notification from defence staff but had seen the news online.

‘‘It’s unusual we haven’t heard. They’ve been really good neighbours. I’ll have to get in touch with them and find out what

‘‘As a result we wish to test the water of properties neighbouring the bases, to see if their water is contaminated.’’ Environment Minister David Parker

it’s about,’’ Bishell said.

Christine Jordan manages a farm near Base Woodbourne with her brother Roger. They had not received a request from defence staff seeking access to the property to obtain water samples.

Jordan said they had wells on their property of several hundred hectares, which was also in a mix of stock and cropping.

‘‘I haven’t heard anything yet,’’ Jordan said. ‘‘I suppose we should have been informed. We’ve been pretty busy.’’

Marlborough District Council operations engineer Stephen Rooney said defence staff were responsible for informing air base neighbours.

Rooney said the council was sampling its own water supplies to gather testing results, which would be completed in the New Year.

‘‘We will work alongside NZDF and [the ministry] over the coming weeks and provide our knowledge of the aquifers, water bores and groundwater in the Woodbourne area,’’ Rooney said.

A Ministry for the Environment spokesman said testing on milk samples had revealed PFOS and PFOA traces so low they would not usually be reported.

The spokesman said the two chemicals bound to proteins like milk, and the low levels found ‘‘was a good sign’’.

‘‘It’s unlikely to be an issue for Marlborough’s wine, for example,’’ he said.

Parker said he had learned about the foam in the past month, but believed the previous government knew about the possible contamination months ago.

‘‘My understanding is that this was reported by the Ministry of Defence to the ministers in August this year. Whether there were earlier reports to the minister I don’t know.’’ Parker’s focus was to ensure the safety of the water drawn from bores close to Ohakea air base, he said.

There are still many unanswered questions about how often the foam was used, where and who by. ‘‘Whether it was used more widely by other departments of Government, we don’t know yet.

‘‘We don’t know how often the fire service used similar foams in their training purposes. It appears that its most concentrated use is probably at airports.’’