According to NAS Whiting Field, the Navy began sampling private wells around the base and its outlying fields in 2017 after a known potential release of PFAS-containing materials.
At the time, the Navy provided an alternate source of drinking and cooking water if two compounds, PFOA and PFOS, reached 70 parts per trillion.
The Environmental Protection Agency set a nationwide drinking water standard of 4 parts per trillion for each of those compounds in 2024. Public water systems must meet that limit by April 2029.
Those standards do not apply to private wells. But the Department of War has issued a policy directing the military to address certain PFAS in private wells using new federal levels.
The policy allows the Navy to pursue permanent fixes where specific compounds are at or above the levels it sets, provided certain conditions are met.
Under the new policy, the Navy has reviewed its past off-base results. Where wells now exceed current limits, the Navy will ask homeowners for permission to install temporary treatment systems at no cost while it works to connect homes to more permanent water solutions.
The Navy is also seeking permission to sample wells within a designated area that have never been tested or that were last tested before 2025. Homes with public water supplies do not need testing.
Whiting Field says letters have already been sent to residents in the sampling area with more information and permission requests. The area covers the main base and several outlying fields in Northwest Florida and South Alabama.
The Navy has also launched a website, whitingfieldpfas.com, with fact sheets, presentations on the sampling process and contact information for Navy officials and partner agencies.
Residents with questions can call 844-627-9353.
