Air Force completes water testing near Cannon base

CLOVIS, N.M. — Recent tests show three of 25 private water sites near Cannon Air Force Base are not safe to drink.

The Eastern New Mexico News reports the U.S. Air Force Civil Engineer Center has completed testing the sites and two other sites are below Environmental Protection Agency safety threshold, but still need monitoring.

Twenty sites showed no evidence the water is contaminated.

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Cannon Air Force Base: Drinking water safe but tests planned

Officials at Cannon Air Force Base say its drinking water is safe but that they’re inspecting groundwater monitoring wells to assess the potential for groundwater contamination from past firefighting activities.

The testing was done in response to Cannon's announcement in August that groundwater monitoring wells on base contained high levels of Per- and Poly-Fluoroalkyl Substances, or PFAS.

Two other sites were found to be below the health advisory of 70 parts per trillion of certain PFAS, but high enough for monitoring.

The Air Force will continue to monitor the area but isn’t planning additional tests outside that area.

Officials declined to identify the location of the three sites.

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DoD: At least 126 bases report water contaminants linked to cancer, birth defects

The water at or around 126 military installations contains potentially harmful levels of perfluorinated compounds, which have been linked to cancers and developmental delays for fetuses and infants.

By Tara Copp, AP

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