Communities near military installations have faced some of the most severe PFAS drinking water contamination in the United States. Aqueous film-forming foam (AFFF) used for decades in firefighting training has contaminated groundwater and wells at and near hundreds of military sites nationwide, creating urgent filtration needs for affected residents.
Scale and Severity of Military PFAS Contamination
The Department of Defense has identified contamination at over 700 military installations where AFFF use has impacted drinking water sources. PFAS concentrations in wells near heavily impacted bases can reach thousands of parts per trillion — orders of magnitude above the 4 ppt EPA MCL. At these concentrations, treatment system design requires careful sizing to ensure adequate PFAS reduction to safe levels.
Appropriate Treatment for High-Concentration Scenarios
For wells with very high PFAS concentrations (above 500 ppt total PFAS), a multi-stage approach is most reliable. Pre-treatment with activated carbon reduces the load on subsequent stages. Reverse osmosis or high-capacity ion exchange provides the final deep treatment necessary to achieve regulatory targets. Point-of-entry whole-house treatment protects all household water uses, which may be warranted when contamination levels are very high.
Available Assistance Programs
The Department of Defense operates programs providing bottled water, treatment systems, or water connection assistance for affected nearby communities. State environmental agencies often coordinate response actions and may require military installations to remediate affected private wells. Affected residents should document their well location, testing results, and dates carefully to support any claims for remediation assistance.