Contaminant found in water in Navy town

WASHINGTON — The tiny eastern North Carolina community of Atlantic has joined a growing list of military areas across the country affected by contaminated drinking water.

The Navy is providing bottled water after two private groundwater wells in Atlantic, an unincorporated area in Carteret County with a population of less than 600, tested positive for elevated levels of cancer-causing chemicals. Atlantic sits on the Core Sound, just west of the Outer Banks.

The chemicals, perfluorooctane sulfonate, or PFOS, and perfluorooctanoic acid, or PFOA, are used to make products more stain-resistant, waterproof and nonstick, and they appear in common household products such as cookware, carpets, food packaging and clothes, according to the Environmental Protection Agency.

They are also found in firefighting foam used by the Department of Defense beginning in the 1970s.

The Navy tested more than 250 wells near Marine Corps Outlying Landing Field Atlantic, a World War II-era field that is now used for helicopter training. The landing field supports training operations for Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point.

In 2016, the Environmental Protection Agency set stricter limits on the amount of the chemicals allowed in drinking water, citing adverse health effects.

The Defense Department identified 393 installations with a known or suspected release of PFOS or PFOA in a Dec. 31, 2016, document.

The Defense Department spent nearly $200 million by the end of 2016 on environmental restoration funding to address PFOS/PFOA releases.

Total costs could exceed $2 billion, according to reports.

The Navy’s policy is to provide bottled water immediately.

In Atlantic, the Navy is only in the first stages of what could be a years-long investigation and cleanup, particularly if the source is found on the base. The Navy has held three public hearings and offered free well testing through the beginning of March. No more public testing of wells is scheduled at this point.