CHESAPEAKE, Va. (WVEC) — Residents who live near Naval Auxiliary Landing Field Fentress in Chesapeake will be getting an update on the quality of their drinking water during a public meeting on Thursday.
The City, Navy, and the Environmental Protection Agency have been testing groundwater in the area for years. Investigators are looking for a substance known as PFCs. The EPA said it's a contaminate that has been found in household items since the 1950s.
However, the concern is that it's been getting into the groundwater from firefighting foam used by the Navy at Fentress Field during the 1970s and 80s.
The Navy began off-site testing in February 2016. The majority of private wells tested fell within safe EPA standards, while the Navy has been giving free bottled water to people living in homes that had high levels of PFCs.
At Thursday night's meeting, the Navy, the Virginia Department of Health, and the EPA will talk about long-term solutions for making sure the water is safe to drink.
Chesapeake resident Judy Turner lives across the street from the base. Her water well was one of the 62 tested by the Navy but was found to not have dangerous levels of PFCs. She said she and her neighbors still use bottled water because they’d rather be safe than sorry.
“It’s expensive, it’s annoying… to cook with and you have to pour water in instead of, you know, running to your sink and filling up and it’s a pain,” said Turner.
Turner said she planned on attending the meeting Thursday night to hear more about proposed long-term solutions.
Three proposed options include: doing nothing while still providing bottled water, treating the water at the source, or connecting to the City of Chesapeake's water system.
The Navy said connecting to the City of Chesapeake's water system is the most effective option because it ensures contaminated groundwater doesn't seep into the drinking water of residents.
Residents living near Fentress Field and others in the community can come to the open house at Butts Road Intermediate School. The meeting begins at 4 p.m. and should wrap up by 7 p.m.
► Make it easy to keep up to date with more stories like this. Download the 13News Now App.