SCOTT AIR FORCE BASE, Ill. — The groundwater around Scott Air Force Base needs to be tested because it could be contaminated with chemicals, according to the Air Force.
The concern is that rain caused a decades-old foam used to put out runway fires to run off and into the groundwater around the base.
The Illinois Environmental Protection Agency and the USAF said communities supplied by American Water are not affected. The concern is for people using well water.
"Water provided by American Water to Scott AFB and the surrounding communities is not affected and remains safe to drink," the USAF said in a release.
Scott Air Force Base said it has stopped using the older-style fire fighting foam that has the chemicals the EPA is worried about.
But, the USAF said testing did find some elevated levels around the base of what are known as "PFAS" — chemicals linked to several types of cancer and birth defects among other serious illnesses.
In the next couple of weeks, people living to the south and southeast of Scott Air Force Base who have registered wells should receive a questionnaire from the base in the mail.
And if the Air Force doesn't hear back, they say they'll go door-to-door in the areas that could be affected.
"We want to do this in the most transparent way possible," said Vice Commander Col. Joseph Meyer with the 375th Air Mobility Wing who says he has lived in the area "off and on" since 2005. "I'm also part of this community and I have a vested interest in taking care of the community we live in."
He said that means bottled water right away if a well is contaminated and a permanent solution for the long term.
Contractors for Scott Air Force Base will start with a one-mile zone to the south and southeast of the base and extend their testing the find unacceptable levels of contamination which EPA guidelines for PFAS he says are no more than 70 parts per trillion.
Illinois' two U.S. Senators released a joint statement the detection of the chemicals saying, in part, “As this situation develops, we will continue to work closely with federal, state, and local officials to ensure Congress is doing everything it can to protect the public health of all those who work at Scott AFB as well as the residents living nearby.”
