Thousands of service members and families live with contaminated water or the fear of it, while the Pentagon’s own timetable to address PFAS at bases slips by years. A recent analysis found cleanup milestones pushed back at nearly 140 installations, with some sites now unlikely to start remedial work until the late 2030s, according to The New York Times.

Communities near Barnes Air National Guard Base in Massachusetts and Cannon Air Force Base in New Mexico are among those told to wait longer for fixes—after decades of firefighting foam use that sent chemicals into soil and groundwater.

Veterans and families face prolonged uncertainty over water safety.

What PFAS Does to the Body—and What We Still Don’t Know

PFAS can persist in the environment and accumulate in people. Federal health agencies cite research associating exposure with kidney and testicular cancers, thyroid disease, high cholesterol, immune changes, pregnancy-related hypertension, and developmental effects in children, as summarized by the Department of Veterans Affairs’ public health guidance. The VA notes that evidence remains mixed for some outcomes and that routine VA blood testing is not yet offered, though federal studies are underway to clarify risks and exposure pathways.

Funding Gaps vs. Rising Obligations

Even before the latest delays, the costs were outpacing budgets. The Pentagon estimated PFAS cleanup could exceed $31 billion across active, former, and surrounding community sites—yet annual requests have lagged need, an advocacy analysis reported, with some years asking for less in real terms than a decade ago. In 2023, DoD requested $1.4 billion and Congress boosted it to $2.2 billion; the next year’s request rose slightly to $1.5 billion—still below the prior appropriation, Military.com reports. The group urged at least $2.75 billion for FY2024 to prevent an “escalating backlog.”

PFAS contamination stems largely from decades of firefighting foam use on bases.

Local Consequences: Oregon, Washington, Illinois

On the ground, new schedules are reshaping expectations. In the Pacific Northwest, the Air National Guard base in Portland and Fairchild Air Force Base near Spokane each saw six-year slips in their remedial investigation timelines, pushing key work into the next decade, according to the Oregon Capital Chronicle. In Illinois, Scott Air Force Base’s remedial investigation, once estimated to wrap in 2027, is now listed for 2032, drawing criticism from congressional leaders and deep concern from residents suing over alleged PFAS-related illnesses, the Belleville News-Democrat reports.

Regulatory Pressure—and Moving Targets

EPA’s 2024 rule set the first national drinking-water limits for several PFAS and added PFOA and PFOS to the Superfund hazardous substances list, triggering new testing and potential cleanup actions for systems that exceed limits. Water utilities, including those serving bases, must meet the standards on a longer compliance timeline now stretching to 2031, VA Public Health reports. The stricter thresholds raise the bar for remediation plans already underway.

The chemicals persist in soil and groundwater for decades.

Foam Phase-Out and the Path Forward for Veterans

DoD has curtailed training uses of PFAS-containing aqueous film-forming foam and is transitioning to fluorine-free alternatives, but full phase-out timelines have shifted in recent years as the department balances performance and supply constraints, Belleville News-Democrat reports. For veterans and families, practical steps matter now: check base and local water testing updates; consult clinicians about individual risk; and track evolving VA policy, including potential presumptions for specific conditions under review. The central issue is time. Each delay prolongs exposure anxiety for those who served, while the bill for comprehensive cleanup keeps growing.

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