by Hayley Sorensen, originally posted on  December 24, 2016

Results confirming bores supplying water to homes near RAAF Base Tindal are contaminated by potentially carcinogenic chemicals have started to trickle back to residents.

About 44 homes around Katherine have taken up a Defence offer of supplying them with bottled water after preliminary results showed old fire fighting foam chemicals known as PFAS had leeched into ground and surface water near the base. Now, testing has proved contamination in individual bores.

The NT News has spoken with one resident whose family water supply is contaminated with PFAS chemicals several times the acceptable level.

But Katherine Mayor Fay Miller said she believed most residents who accepted the offer of bottled water from Defence were erring on the side of caution.

She said while residents were concerned about the prospect of contamination, the feeling in the community was largely “muted”.

“We don’t want to be alarmist; certainly we care and concern but we just don’t know much at the moment,” she said.

She also praised Defence for its transparency with Katherine residents.“I think so far, they’ve given us all the information that they’ve got. We’ve taken them at their word that they will keep us updated.”

She said residents had many questions, but so far, Defence didn’t have the answers to provide. The long term health and environment impacts of PFAS are not known.

Ms Miller said the possibility plummeting house values was of concern. Homes near the Williamtown Base in Newcastle have nosedived after contamination.

“That has to be a negotiation that’s done between the landholder and Defence,” she said. Testing of Katherine’s town water supply came back negative for PFAS contamination. Defence did not respond to questions by deadline.