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white sands missile range

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 White Sands Missile Range, does not contain PFOS/PFOA in exceedance of the EPA 2016 lifetime health advisory levels. Army-provided drinking water complies with the standards contained in 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 test and monitor on-base drinking water.

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

Test results date:  Novemeber 2023

Testing Frequency:  Every 2 years

Future Testing Event:  June 2025

Type of drinking water systems: Army-owned

For questions contact:  Public Affairs

Office phone number:   (575) 678-1134

Office e-mail address:  scott.c.stearns.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 70 parts per trillion (ppt) for PFOS/PFOA (individually or combined) 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:  Remedial Investigation underway

DOCUMENTS

Final Preliminary Assessment and Site Inspection of Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances White Sands Missile Range, New Mexico (July 2023) Report, Tables and Figures up to 5-20 and Figures 7-1 to end of document (separated due to file size to assist with download) Appendices available upon request

CONTACT INFORMATION

For questions contact:  Public Affairs

Office phone number:   (575) 678-1134

Office e-mail address:  scott.c.stearns.civ@army.mil
 
Last reviewed/updated: 3/5/24