Home connecting to Navy waterline after PFAS detected in well
Published 1:30 am Friday, March 20, 2026
A North Whidbey home is being added to the Navy’s waterline as the result of harmful per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS, in a private drinking water well.
Earlier this month, the Navy posted a public notice of its initiation of a time-critical removal action. Levels of PFAS “barely” exceeding interim action levels were detected in the well in December, according to Naval Facilities Engineering Systems Command, or NAVFAC, Northwest’s Public Affairs Office.
Time-critical removal actions can be initiated quicker than non-time critical removal actions, which require six months of planning ahead of implementation, NAVFAC explained. Time-critical removal actions are encouraged where drinking water is concerned in order to expedite solutions.
About 550 linear feet of piping, as well as water supply pumping improvements, are to be installed to support the home’s connection to the Navy’s waterline, according to a memorandum signed by Capt. Nathan Gammache, the base’s commanding officer, and dated Feb. 20. The project is estimated to cost $270,000.
The home, located south of Ault Field, is to remain connected to Navy waterlines “until a public water system is available in the area,” NAVFAC said. It added that the property owner plans to keep the well for “non-potable purposes.”
A point-of-entry treatment system will be installed and remain operational until the waterline connection is established. The system will remove PFAS compounds from the groundwater supply, according to the memorandum, and NAVFAC expects it to be completed this summer.
PFAS are linked to serious health issues. The historical use of firefighting foam containing PFAS on Naval Air Station Whidbey Island has led to the substances’ detection in groundwater on base and in nearby drinking water wells.
As of January, the memorandum states, PFAS at or above interim action levels have been detected at 30 of 370 off-base drinking water wells sampled by the Navy.
A 30-day public comment period began March 4 and is set to end April 4. Comments can be emailed to navfacnwpao@us.navy.mil or mailed to NAVFAC directly.
