Sept 19 - The Maine DEP’s comprehensive testing efforts in Brunswick have resulted in ongoing sampling findings
Soil results have been received from four areas that were identified as either the most likely to be impacted from the AFFF release or those with the greatest risk for potential exposure to recreational users. They include the soils adjacent to Hangar Four and immediately around the oil water separator, the field north of the outdoor athletic complex, soils surrounding the outdoor athletic complex, and the field southeast of Pond B where appreciable amounts of wind-blown foam accumulated on the day of the AFFF release. Preliminary review of the analytical results identified some PFAS detections in all area soils that were tested. Soil concentrations at the Hanger Four area and athletic complex were only slightly above background soil levels for urban developed soils and were well below the States Remedial Action Guidelines for a park user exposure scenarios (see the PFAS Soil Remedial Action Guidelines in the Maine PFAS Screening Levels Document). The field southeast of Pond B where appreciable amounts of wind-blown foam accumulated on the day of the AFFF release was found to have the soil concentrations of PFAS well above background levels but still lower than the States Remedial Action Guidelines for the park user exposure scenario. This field is owned by the Navy and is posted with no trespassing signs. A comprehensive evaluation of the soil testing results by the Department and its partner agencies is ongoing.
Test results are posted on DEP’s website at: https://www.maine.gov/dep/
projects/bnas/index.html.
No foam has been observed or collected at any of the preestablished points since Friday September 6th.
10,000 gallons of the impacted water have been removed for disposal off site, with approximately 20,000 gallons still in the frac tanks on site, By the end of next week, removal of all the remaining impacted water is anticipated to be completed.
The Town of Brunswick and Midcoast Regional Redevelopment Authority (MRRA) have collaborated to add an opt-in notification list through the Town’s Notify Me® service. The “Brunswick Landing/MRRA” notification list will provide information, news, and alerts supplied by MRRA to subscribers via email and/or text message.
To sign up for this notification service, please visit the Town’s website (www.brunswickme.gov) and click on the Notify Me® link.
Brunswick Landing receives its public drinking water supply from the Brunswick-Topsham Water District (BTWD), and has been confirmed safe to drink. The public water supply has not been impacted by this incident. Homes and businesses served by the BTWD can safely use the water.
The Maine CDC advises the public to exercise caution and abstain from any recreational activities (such as swimming, boating, and wading) that may come into contact with the foam or waters until the possible effects of the AFFF release on waterbodies in the vicinity have been thoroughly evaluated.
The next update will be issued as soon as additional test results become available.
For additional information, contact:
David R. Madore, Deputy Commissioner
david.madore@maine.gov
Sept 5 - DEP will assist in facilitating the transition from emergency response to long-term remediation in Brunswick
Today marks the conclusion of
unified command operations. AUGUSTA, MAINE, September 5, 2024 — As operations move from the response phase to the long-term remediation phase, Unified Command will cease operations at close of business today. The Maine Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) operational staff will continue to oversee Midcoast Regional Redevelopment Authority’s (MRRA) and DEP’s hired contractor efforts via MRRA’s environmental consultant. Sevee & Maher Engineers (SME), an environmental contractor, has been hired by MRRA at the request of the DEP to facilitate the transition from an emergency response to a longer-term remediation operation.Foam production is currently at a minimum; the majority of sites no longer require foam collection, and the one area that is still producing a small quantity of foam, does not require daily collection. Consequently, MRRA will transition from daily foam recovery to every other day foam removal. This requirement will be reviewed on a weekly basis.In the coming days, impacted water that is presently being held in frac tanks will be taken off site in 5,000-gallon increments. This effort is being coordinated by MRRA for out-of-state disposal. DEP and MRRA are working together to sample the frac tanks prior to removal in order to properly characterize the contents.
Soil sampling at the former BNAS site is being completed today. DEP is collecting soil for PFAS analysis from three areas – an area near Hangar 4, from the grassy area west of the Recreation Center, and from an onsite area off Neptune Drive near the confluence of Ponds B and C (south of the Brunswick-Topsham Land Trust property).
Next week, DEP personnel will go door-to-door to speak with homeowners along Coombs Road from the southern intersection with Gurnet Road up to roughly a quarter mile past the intersection with Hawkins Lane, including properties on Hawkins Lane and Purinton Road. The purpose of the outreach is to discuss sampling of their drinking water well for PFAS. Approximately 45 residential properties have been identified by the Department for sampling. DEP staff will leave contact information if the property owner is not home so that follow-up can take place.
The public drinking water supply to Brunswick Landing comes from the Brunswick- Topsham Water District (BTWD) and has been confirmed safe to drink. The public water supply has not been impacted by this incident. Homes and businesses served by the BTWD can safely use the water.
The Maine CDC advises the public to avoid contact with foam, and to exercise caution and abstain from any recreational activities (such as swimming, boating, and wading) that may come into contact with the foam or waters until the possible effects of the AFFF release on waterbodies in the vicinity have been thoroughly evaluated.
The next update will be issued as soon as additional test results become available.
For additional information, contact:
David R. Madore, Deputy Commissioner
david.madore@maine.gov
Sept 3 - DEP expands sampling plan at the former Brunswick Naval Air Station
As previously announced, the DEP intends to sample water supplies in the south-southeast direction of Hangar 4, roughly one mile from the discharge location. Locations were selected by carefully reviewing the historical data, hydrogeology, and test findings from the former naval air base and after hearing concerns from the public at last week’s forum. Several of the water sources in this area have previously been sampled by the Navy. In order to arrange with homeowners to test their drinking water wells, DEP employees will be contacting property owners along Coombs Road from the southern intersection with Gurnet Road up to roughly a quarter mile past the intersection with Hawkins Lane, including properties on Hawkins Lane and Purinton Road.
Following the same protocol the Department is using to conduct the statewide PFAS investigation, test results from this initiative will be used to assess whether more testing is needed.
The DEP will consider reimbursement requests from homeowners in the above-mentioned area who may have recently tested their drinking water wells for PFAS. All of the requirements listed in the accompanying document must be fulfilled to qualify due to the limited funds available for reimbursement.
Data collected at the inlet to the on-site surface water collection pond (Sample Point SW-11) on August 22 show a decrease in concentrations of PFAS when compared to the data recently received from samples collected on August 19 from the same sample location (Sample Point Pond In). Data are expressed in nanograms per liter which is the same as parts per trillion. The laboratory report with all data will be provided on the DEP website. On August 22, DEP began monitoring five surface water sample locations from the on-site ponds to Mare Brook. These locations are being monitored regularly with the next data expected on or around September 5. Additionally, two locations in Harpswell Cove are being sampled weekly, with the first data expected next week.
Sample Date PFOS (ng/l) Total PFAS (All Compounds) (ng/l) 8/19/2024 1,040,000 1,231,860 8/22/2024 197,000 255,287.90 The public drinking water supply to Brunswick Landing comes from the Brunswick- Topsham Water District (BTWD) and has been confirmed safe to drink. The public water supply has not been impacted by this incident. Homes and businesses served by the BTWD can safely use the water.
The Maine CDC advises the public to exercise caution and abstain from any recreational activities (such as swimming, boating, and wading) that may come into contact with the foam or waters until the possible effects of the AFFF release on waterbodies in the vicinity have been thoroughly evaluated.
The public should avoid contact with foam. If any foam is observed outside of restricted areas, residents in the spill site area should report it by calling: 207-844-8040. This number is to report AFFF foam only.
The next update is scheduled for Thursday, September 5, 2024, unless new information or additional test results become available before then.
For additional information, contact:
David R. Madore, Deputy Commissioner
david.madore@maine.gov
Aug 30 - Mitigation efforts will continue over the holiday weekend in Brunswick
The DEP will only consider reimbursement requests from homeowners in the above-mentioned area who may have recently tested their drinking water wells for PFAS. All of the requirements listed in the accompanying document must be fulfilled to qualify due to the limited funds available for reimbursement. https://www.maine.gov/dep/
Major operational goals achieved by responders and contractors working on the Brunswick Executive Airport AFFF release are as follows:
- Flushed the stormwater piping and catch basins leading to the retention ponds
- Completed mitigation of Hangar 4 including cleaning the impacted planes
- Collected 18,574 gallons of impacted water and foam
- Partnered with the UMA drone program to conduct overflights of the stormwater retention waterway for foam deposits
Over the holiday weekend, the Department’s contractors will carry out daily sampling in addition to continued foam recovery operations.
Due to processing delays, the accelerated test results will not be available today as previously announced. Lab results will be made accessible on the DEP website at https://www.maine.gov/dep/
The public should avoid contact with foam. If any foam is observed outside of restricted areas, residents in the spill site area should report it by calling: 207-844-8040. This number is to report AFFF foam only.
The next update is scheduled for Tuesday, September 3, 2024, unless new information or additional test results become available before then.
 |
For additional information, contact:
David R. Madore, Deputy Commissioner
david.madore@maine.gov
Aug 26 - Unified Command continues response to AFFF spill in Brunswick
| AUGUSTA, MAINE, August 26, 2024 — A Unified Command continues to respond to the release of 1,450 gallons of aqueous film-forming foam (AFFF) at the Brunswick Executive Airport.
Clean Harbors and Republic Services were contracted to actively respond to the spill with Maine DEP oversight. Contracted crews are working to contain and remediate the affected areas. The impacted hangar has been cleaned and all discharged foam from the hangar has been removed. The impacted planes were cleaned and removed from the hangar. The planes will undergo another round of cleaning inside the hangar. At the conclusion of cleaning the planes, the hangar will be cleaned for a final time. Contracted crews will collect the rinse water. The affected TechPlace industrial spaces will also be steam cleaned by contracted response crews. Additionally, four vacuum trucks have been deployed to the four impacted surface water retention ponds to conduct foam removal. All collected PFAS-impacted water from response activities will be transported out of state. Surface water samples have been taken at the retention ponds and at Harpswell Cove by DEP employees, the results of these samples will be used to guide immediate remediation actions and to continue to monitor any further potential impacts. The Department has received the final laboratory report for the four samples collected from the site on Monday, August 19. These initial samples were taken to provide a baseline for comparison to best inform site response progress. Results show that PFOS is the primary compound detected in the samples. PFOS and PFOA are part of a subset of PFASs known as perfluorinated alkyl acids (PFAAs). PFOS was detected in the AFFF product sample from the storage tank at 3,230 parts per million (ppm) and in the mixed product sample (AFFF + water) at 7.52 ppm. The sample from the inlet of the surface water pond showed PFOS at 1.04 ppm, and the sample from the outlet of the surface water pond showed PFOS at 0.000701 ppm. A copy of the lab results are available on DEP’s website at: https://www.maine.gov/dep/bep/Brunswick Airbase.pdf. The public drinking water supply to Brunswick Landing comes from the Brunswick- Topsham Water District (BTWD) and has been confirmed safe to drink. The public water supply has not been impacted by this incident. Homes and businesses served by the BTWD can safely use the water. On Friday, the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention (Maine CDC) issued new freshwater fish consumption advisories recommending either no consumption or limited consumption of fish from four waterbodies located on and around the former naval air station. These advisories were based on earlier testing that revealed levels of PFAS in the fish. The accidental release of AFFF had no impact on those advisories as the “do not eat” advisory was to be issued based on PFAS levels detected prior to this most recent release of foam. Out of an abundance of caution, the Maine CDC also recommends the public refrain from any recreational activities (e.g., swimming, boating, wading) that could result in contact with the foam or waters until the potential impact of the AFFF release on these waterbodies is fully assessed. The Unified Command is utilizing the drone program from the University of Maine, Augusta to conduct daily aerial surveillance of the surface water pathway to identify foam locations and inform removal actions. The AFFF continues to foam in the retention ponds, and it is unclear for how long the foam will be present. Weather and rain may increase the production of foam due to the agitation of the water. The Unified Command is working with partner agencies to determine best practices for foam mitigation. DEP will have staff on site overseeing removal activities until no further removal activities are needed and the site can be returned to its previous status for long-term remediation under Superfund. The public should avoid contact with foam. If any foam is observed outside of restricted areas, residents in the spill site area should report it by calling: 207-844-8040. This number is to report AFFF foam only. There have been no reports of impacts to wildlife. A Unified Command was established to response to the release of AFFF. The Unified Command is comprised of:
The Midcoast Regional Redevelopment Authority is posting updates twice a day on their website. Previous press releases about the response can be found https://www.maine.gov/dep/news/index.html. The next update is scheduled for Wednesday, August 28, 2024, unless new information or additional test results become available before then. For additional information, contact: David R. Madore, Deputy Commissioner |
Please also check our website for updates at www.brunswicklanding.us
Aug 21 - Unified Command established for Brunswick AFFF release
- Maine Department of Environmental Protection
- Maine Department of Health and Human Services’ Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention
- Midcoast Regional Redevelopment Authority
- Environmental Protection Agency
- The Town of Brunswick
- U.S. Coast Guard
The Unified Command will hold a press conference this afternoon, August 21, 2024 at:
Midcoast Regional Redevelopment Authority
15 Terminal Road, Suite 200, Brunswick, ME 04011
Press conference will begin at 3:00 PM.
On August 19, 2024 Maine DEP was notified by the Brunswick Fire Department that approximately 1450 gallons mixed with 50,000 gallons of AFFF was released at the Brunswick Executive Airport from Hangar 4.The release made its way into an oil/water separator and into retention pond “A”. Immediately upon obtaining this information DEP sent Emergency Responders from the Bureau of Remediation and Waste Management to the site to work on site stabilization and cleanup. In addition, DEP also sent staff from its Division of Technical Services to take samples and evaluate the likelihood of impacts to any nearby private drinking water wells. Because the location is part of an ongoing Federal clean-up site, DEP also sent staff from the Division of Remediation to coordinate with existing federal partners at the DoD (Navy) and USEPA.
On Monday afternoon, four samples were collected to evaluate immediate impacts to the environment and understand the potential for impacts to ground water. DEP has been in direct contact with contracted laboratories to expedite return of sample results (normally a month turn around) to get results in as early as Friday.
Many samples have been taken at this location over the past several years as part of the ongoing Federal cleanup activities, and this data does not definitively confirm a connection between the contaminated site and nearby private drinking water wells. However, because this data is a few years old and because this is a new spill of PFAS, the DEP in an abundance of caution is developing a sampling and analysis plan to take additional samples to determine whether any nearby wells have been impacted by this most recent spill. Department staff will be reaching out to some residents in the nearby community to request permission to conduct sampling of private drinking water wells.
The Department will not be sampling every single well in the community. Instead, representative samples will be taken to understand what is happening with groundwater flow and migration. This will help expedite an understanding of what is happening in relation to drinking water in the nearby neighborhoods.
The Department is working with multiple partner agencies and authorities on this matter including DoD (Navy and US Coast Guard), USEPA, MEMA, DHHS (CDC and Drinking Water Program), DMR, Town of Brunswick, and MRRA.
Residents who want to sample their own private drinking water wells can follow this guidance from DEP: https://www.maine.gov/dep/
spills/topics/pfas/PFAS– homeowner-water%20sampling.pdf The Maine CDC’s Drinking Water Program is in close contact with the Brunswick Topsham Water District. At this time, the discharge of firefighting foam containing PFAS at Brunswick Landing is not impacting the Brunswick Topsham Water District (BTWD) water supply. Homes and businesses served by the BTWD can safely use the water. As a precautionary measure, the BTWD discontinued use of the wellfield in close proximity to Brunswick Landing in order to prevent the PFAS from potentially impacting the drinking water supply. That wellfield will not be put back into use until testing shows that PFAS in the drinking water is within allowed regulatory limits. The BTWD is currently using unimpacted drinking water sources that are sufficiently distant from the foam discharge at Brunswick Landing. The Maine CDC’s Drinking Water Program (DWP) is working with the BTWD as they monitor the situation through increased water quality sampling and is also working in close collaboration with State and Federal response and regulatory partners.
The Maine CDC recommends the public avoid contact with foam they may encounter in waterways on the former Brunswick Naval Air Station. Maine CDC also advises the public not to take fish from any waters located on the former Brunswick Naval Air Station (including Picnic Pond, Merriconeag Stream, and Mere Brook east of the runway) while officials evaluate the potential impact to the watershed.
For additional information, contact:
David R. Madore, Deputy Commissioner
david.madore@maine.gov
In the News
Aug 19 – Firefighting foam containing PFAS accidentally discharged at Brunswick airport
Aug 20 – PFAS firefighting foam spills into environment after accidental discharge in Brunswick
Aug 21 – Unified Command established for Brunswick AFFF release
Aug 27 – State gets initial test results after spill of toxic firefighting foam in Brunswick
Aug 27 – First tests reveal high PFAS levels in spilled foam, ponds at Brunswick Landing
Aug 29 – Brunswick residents with wells face testing barriers in wake of chemical spill
Aug 29 – Officials face packed town hall in Brunswick after toxic foam spill
Aug 30 – Brunswick residents voice frustrations during meeting on firefighting foam spill
Aug 30 – Brunswick residents seek answers after hazardous PFAS firefighting foam spill
Aug 30 – Toxic foam spill in Brunswick spread to garden used by immigrants
Sept 3 – Brunswick passes unprecedented PFAS resolution calling for action after spill
