In late October, Arizona Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) officials announced an Environmental Services Agreement (ESA) with the U.S. Air Force Civil Engineer Center for $1.7 million in Air Force funding for the Central Tucson PFAS Project. The project is a demonstration remedy to remove PFAS from groundwater and to protect Tucson’s central wellhead by containing a PFAS plume near the David-Monthan Air Force Base.
Arizona DEQ continues to lead the work and will seek reimbursement for future state costs. DEQ broke ground on construction of the wellhead treatment system in July and expects to complete remaining construction by December. By early 2023, DEQ expects to design a full-scale remedy based on the demonstration remedy.
An August ECOSWIRE article provided an overview of the PFAS challenges associated with Tucson’s drinking water, following an $8 million investment to delineate and capture PFAS-contaminated groundwater, and install new groundwater monitoring wells, and expected future costs. Arizona’s governor wrote U.S. Department of Defense Secretary Austin in April requesting prompt action.
