At a public informational meeting last November, Army officials assured local residents, government officials and the Wisconsin DNR that the highest concentration of two forms of PFAS (PFOA/PFOS) detected in groundwater at the former Badger Army Ammunition Plant was 19.5 parts per trillion (ppt), but neglected to share information about other detected PFAS chemicals. Data sheets obtained by Citizens for Safe Water Around Badger (CSWAB) show that the summed total concentration of all PFAS detected at the southern boundary of Badger is actually as high as 82 ppt.
The implications of the Army’s non-disclosure of the additional test results are potentially significant. In a March 6, 2019 email to CSWAB from the U.S. Army Environmental Command in Fort Sam Houston, TX, officials said that based on the reported results “there is no plan to test private wells or additional monitoring wells for PFOA/PFOS contamination at the former Badger AAP.”
Prior to the November 1 public meeting in 2018, Badger neighbors had petitioned the U.S. Army to prioritize public and private well testing in its planned investigation for PFAS – a group of highly toxic compounds that has not been included in any of the Army’s previous environmental studies.
More than 100 people, including members of the Badger Restoration Advisory Board, signed a resolution asking that the Army test all public drinking water systems within a four-mile radius of Badger for PFAS. The resolution also asks that the Army include PFAS analysis in its upcoming testing of approximately 300 residential wells near the former military base.
The complete May 9, 2018 groundwater sampling conducted by Army detected a total of six PFAS compounds (PFBA, PFHpA, PFHxA, PFOS, PFOA, and PFPA) with a summed concentration of 82 ppt. While there is no EPA or Wisconsin standard for the summed-total concentration of PFAS, the State of Vermont has adopted a groundwater standard of 20 ppt for the summed total concentration of a similar list of five PFAS compounds (PFHpA, PFHxS, PFOS, PFOA, and PFNA).
Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are toxic man-made chemicals that are very persistent and mobile in the environment, creating huge groundwater contaminant plumes that readily migrate miles from source areas. Exposure to certain forms of PFAS is associated with low infant birth weights, effects on the immune system, cancer and thyroid hormone disruption.
The Army will be hosting a public meeting on environmental cleanup of the former Badger lands on March 20 from 6 pm to 8:30 pm in the gallery at the Sauk Prairie School District’s River Arts Center, 105 Ninth Street, Prairie du Sac, WI.
Badger Army Public RAB Presentation on PFAS Groundwater on SLIDE 10 Nov 2018
Badger Army PFAS Final Groundwater Test Results 2 Nov 2018
Badger Army PFAS Results Fall 2018 (excel file)