The U.S. Air Force this week updated city officials on the design of a treatment system for the Haven well, which was contaminated by its activities at the former Pease Air Force Base.
Haven, one of three wells owned by the city of Portsmouth at Pease International Tradeport, was shut off in May 2014 due to PFC contamination.
“Perhaps,” he said, “by this time next year we’ll be talking about construction.” It will be at least three years after the PFC contamination was discovered that construction of a treatment system could begin.
The base closed in 1991, so those contaminants have been migrating through the water supply, and into people’s drinking water, for decades, proving the lingering toxicity of PFCs.
Meanwhile, Newington Selectman Ted Connors said there are 40 private wells in Newington “with some sort of contamination.” Several were tested after the Haven well was shut down and showed PFC contamination.
It is mind-boggling that Portsmouth and Seacoast leaders, many of whom pride themselves on preserving and protecting our environment, are willing to let this process crawl along with little action.
The Air Force is slowly designing a treatment system at its contaminated former base that might be constructed next year.
The Coakley Landfill Group, made up by municipalities and entities that used the landfill, including the city of Portsmouth and U.S. Air Force, is doing everything it can to not properly remediate the site.
Those funds are available to defray some of the cost to extend municipal water lines in Greenland and Newington as needed.
Public water lines from three local utility companies were extended to most of the homes and businesses in that area by the end of 1983.