Wilson needs to make Air Force clean up NM messes
This story is becoming too familiar in New Mexico. An Air Force base has been cited after groundwater testing revealed contamination well above acceptable levels. This time it’s Holloman Air Force Base near Alamogordo. A few months ago, it was Cannon Air Force Base near Clovis.
And then there is Kirtland Air Force Base here in Albuquerque — where the ongoing mitigation process to rid contamination from the groundwater is taking years.
In Holloman’s case, the New Mexico Environment Department served the base with a “notice of violation” last week after monitoring wells tested at twice the acceptable levels for suspected carcinogenic contaminants. The Air Force reported groundwater concentrations of polyfluoroalkyl and perfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) — suspected carcinogenic chemicals in fire-suppressant foam the Air Force no longer uses — at 137 parts per trillion at monitoring wells.
The federal Environmental Protection Agency’s drinking water health advisory for PFAS is 70 parts per trillion.
In November, the New Mexico Environment Department issued a notice to Cannon Air Force Base when dozens of private wells — two that supply dairies — had PFAS levels three times higher than the advisory level.
Jim Kenney, secretary-designate of the state Environment Department, says the state is “dismayed by the Air Force’s lack of prompt response to the contamination.”
Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham and the congressional delegation have been critical of the Air Force’s response and vowed to pursue “all avenues” to achieve compliance. Rightly so. But, really, that should be the Air Force’s job. And U.S. Air Force Secretary Heather Wilson should be at the forefront of addressing this issue. After all, she used to represent New Mexico in the U.S. House of Representatives and knows first-hand the problems caused by the delay in addressing the spill at Kirtland AFB. Wilson, who has spoken with the governor and delegation, should ensure that this time the response is quicker than the years it took to take the Kirtland spill seriously.
Back in 1999, the Air Force learned it had a decades-old problem with jet fuel leaks. It wasn’t until 2007 that its investigations revealed the fuel had reached the water table and was spreading toward the city’s water wells underneath southeast Albuquerque. Extraction wells are now treating the hundreds of millions of gallons of contaminated water.
Given that history it shouldn’t take a 30,000-foot view to realize we don’t want a KAFB repeat at the other bases.
Military personnel, residents living nearby and agriculture and businesses deserve a quicker response and quicker action this time around. Mitigation efforts should begin as soon as possible — not a decade down the road — to get both bases in compliance.
Our nation’s military bases play a vital role in our state’s economy and have been important neighbors to our civilian communities for years. An important part of being a good neighbor must be ensuring the safety of those who live and work on or near their installations.