PFAS Cleanup at Military Sites Delayed Nationwide

Last week, Wisconsin Democratic Senator Tammy Baldwin sent a letter to Air Force Secretary Troy Meink about per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) cleanup that’s been delayed up to 20 years for nearly 200 military sites nationwide, including lengthy delays in Wisconsin, Wisconsin Public Radio reported. In June, it was reported that the Department of Defense (DoD) pushed back its PFAS investigation and cleanup timelines by as much as 20 years across 178 sites, including Truax Field and Volk Field in Wisconsin.

Senator Baldwin is seeking information about revised cleanup timelines and reasons for the changes, as well as public health risks and plans to fund remediation.

The Department of Defense has listed eight sites in Wisconsin among the more than 700 military installations nationwide under review for PFAS contamination. The contamination often derives from firefighting foam containing chemicals which don’t break down easily in the environment. PFAS are linked to serious health issues that include kidney and testicular cancers.

As of March 2025, a progress report showed remedial investigations and feasibility studies were set to wrap up between 2028 and 2031 at five of the eight sites. Now those timelines have been pushed out as much as 15 years in some instances.

These delays come as the Air National Guard installations rank among the most PFAS-contaminated sites in Wisconsin, Baldwin’s office reported. Truax Field in Madison, for example, has PFAS in groundwater measured as high as 39,841 parts per trillion; this is nearly 2,000 times the standard of 20 parts per trillion recommended by Wisconsin health officials. At Volk Field in Juneau County and General Mitchell Field in Milwaukee County, readings are as high as 23,000 and 10,800 parts per trillion, respectively. Delay in remediation efforts can allow contamination to spread, exposing more families, and increasing the final cost of remediation, Baldwin’s office said.

In May, the Environmental Protection Agency announced plans to rescind drinking-water limits for several PFAS compounds and to push perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorooctane sulfonic acid (PFOS) compliance to 2031.