Brunswick state and county authorities are still trying to assess and clean up the spread of toxic firefighting foam released by a faulty firefighting system at Brunswick Executive Airport Monday morning.
According to City Councilman James Ecker, some of the foam appeared to have migrated from the airport hangar, where it was originally released, into a nearby pond since Tuesday. The foam is contaminated with dangerous PFAS chemicals.
The faulty system released a total of about 1,600 gallons of firefighting foam mixed with 60,000 gallons of water into the airport’s Hangar 4 at Brunswick Landing. As of Tuesday, officials still could not say exactly how much of the foam was released into the surrounding area, although Brunswick Fire Chief Kenneth Brillant said the “majority” remained in the hangar.
Because some of the foam entered the stormwater drainage system, it has already been discharged into local waterways. There are no drinking water wells at the site of the spill, Brillant said at a Brunswick City Council meeting Monday night, but residents still expressed concerns about their safety.
“The worst fears we had have come to pass,” said Suzanne Johnson, who co-chairs the committee working with the U.S. Navy on environmental cleanup of the former naval base that is now Brunswick Landing. “And we were afraid that a teacupful of PFAS would be released, and instead we have 1,800 gallons.”
Several state and local organizations, including the Maine Department of Environmental Protection, Midcoast Regional Redevelopment Authority, Clean Harbors, Brunswick Fire Department and others, responded to the spill and are working to clean up the contaminants.
However, PFAS are notoriously difficult to remove from the environment, earning them the nickname “forever chemicals.”
The Brunswick & Topsham Water District has been receiving calls about water quality throughout the day, according to its website. When a reporter called Tuesday, the receptionist said it had been a “crazy day” and no one in the office was available to answer questions, but that they could leave a voicemail message.
The district stated on its website that it tests the water for PFAS throughout the day and that it remains clean and safe to drink.
David Madore, a spokesman for the Maine Department of Environmental Protection, said Brunswick residents should avoid contact with the foam and not take fish from the waters at the Brunswick Landing jetty. He said the water district has suspended use of the well field closest to the jetty as a precautionary measure, and homes and businesses in the area can safely use the water.
According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, PFAS cause long-term health damage when ingested, including cancer and birth defects.
Brillant said cleanup efforts are focused on the source. Officials are waiting for the foam to dissipate, much like soapy water in a kitchen sink, until it can be flushed into a system that will capture it and allow it to be moved to a safer location or destroyed.
“You can’t just vacuum up foam with a vacuum truck because it fills the things up too quickly,” Brillant said at the meeting on Monday.
But once PFAS enter waterways, they’re difficult to remove, says Jean MacRae, associate professor of civil and environmental engineering at the University of Maine. Sewer systems with treatment plants can filter out some of the chemicals, but once they get into the soil or storm drains, they’re hard to stop.
“If I lived nearby, I would monitor my water,” MacRae said.
