Delegation Urges Air Force to Timeline PFAS Cleanup for Contaminated Water Wells

A congressional delegation, including Jeanne Shaheen, Maggie Hassan, and Chris Pappas, wrote to the Air Force Secretary regarding contamination at the former Pease Air Force base. The delegation urged the Air Force to provide a firm timeline for when it will pay for a treatment system to remove dangerous PFAS chemicals from two city water wells. These wells, which supply approximately 1.3 million gallons of water daily, draw from an aquifer beneath the former base that the Air Force has long known is contaminated with PFOA and PFOS.

The chemicals, including PFOA and PFOS, averaged above the Environmental Protection Agency’s maximum contaminant level in the wells in June 2025. The two wells supply nearly a quarter of the community’s drinking water, with no alternative source if they are taken offline.