fort hunter liggett

DRINKING WATER

The Army is committed to ensuring quality drinking water is provided to its Soldiers, family members, and civilians. Proactive sampling is performed by the Army on its drinking water systems and coordination with other purveyors of drinking water to installations occurs to ensure PFOS/PFOA remains below 70 parts per trillion (ppt) for PFOS and PFOA (individually or combined). While not an enforceable regulatory standard, this represents a concentration in drinking water that is not expected to produce adverse health effects if the water is consumed over an entire lifetime.

Status: Finished drinking water, which is the treated water people drink at Fort Hunter Liggett, does not contain PFOS/PFOA above the EPA lifetime health advisory levels. Additionally, Army-provided drinking water complies with the standards of the Safe Drinking Water Act, a federal law designed to protect the quality of drinking water supplied to the American public. The Army will continue to sample and monitor on-base drinking water to ensure the EPA lifetime health advisory levels or a properly promulgated state safe drinking water standard is not exceeded.

PFOA + PFOS Results: below the laboratory's ability to detect

Test results date: August 2023

Testing Frequency: Every 2 years

Future Testing Event: September 2025

History: As a proactive measure in 2016, the Army tested the four wells that supply the drinking water treatment system at Fort Hunter Liggett for PFAS. One of the four wells' test results (330 ppt) exceeded the EPA lifetime health advisory and was immediately removed from service. Finished water testing results for Fort Hunter Liggett have been below the EPA lifetime health advisory levels since the well was shut down.

Type of drinking water systems: Army-owned

For questions contact: Public Affairs

Office phone number: (831) 386-2690

Office e-mail address: amy.phillips.civ@army.mil

Water Quality Reports

CLEANUP ACTIONS

The Army follows the federal cleanup law, the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA) of 1980 (also known as “Superfund”), and long-standing Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regulations for all chemicals in its cleanup program, including PFAS. In collaboration with federal and state regulatory agencies and interested stakeholders, the Army follows the CERCLA process to investigate a release resulting from Army activities and to assess the appropriate cleanup actions based on risk to human health and the environment.

When the Army identifies that it has impacted drinking water above the EPA’s 2016 lifetime health advisory levels for PFOS/PFOA on or off an installation, it takes appropriate actions to provide alternate water and ensure drinking water levels are promptly reduced below the health advisory levels (for example, by providing bottled water, shutting down wells, installing treatment systems or connecting to municipal water).

Final reports, points of contact, and/or site specific web links will be updated on this page as cleanup actions progress.

CERCLA is a complex, multi-phase process that provides a consistent, science-based approach across the nation for cleanup and may take years to complete. Read more about CERCLA and the phased approach here

CERCLA INFORMATION

Current CERCLA Phase: RI underway

DOCUMENTS
Final Preliminary Assessment and Site Inspection of Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances Fort Hunter Liggett, California (April 2022)
Appendices available upon request.

CONTACT INFORMATION

For more information, contact: Public Affairs

Office phone number: (831) 386-2690

Office e-mail address: amy.phillips.civ@army.mil

Last reviewed/updated: 3/4/24

Last Updated Date