FORT POLK/FORT JOHNSON

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 the Environmental Protection Agency’s 2016 lifetime health advisory level of 70 parts per trillion (ppt) for PFOS and PFOA (individually or combined). While not an enforceable regulatory standard, a lifetime health advisory 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 Polk, is purchased by the Army. Water testing for PFOS/PFOA can be performed by either the drinking water provider or the Army.  There have been no reported exceedances of the EPA 2016 lifetime health advisory levels

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

Test results date:  August 2021

Testing Frequency:  every three years

Future Testing Event:  September 2024

Type of drinking water systems:  privatized

For questions contact:  Public Affairs

Office phone number:   (337) 531-7203

Office e-mail address:  scott.stearns@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 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 Scheduled

DOCUMENTS

 Final Preliminary Assessment and Site Inspection of Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances Fort Polk, Louisiana (June 2022)
Appendices available upon request.

CONTACT INFORMATION

For more information, contact:  Public Affairs

Office phone number: (337) 531-7203

Office e-mail address:  scott.stearns.civ@army.mil