GOODYEAR, AZ — Concerns over so-called “forever chemicals” leaking out into West Valley communities are prompting the US Air Force to do groundwater testing at a high school south of their base in Goodyear.
One testing well will be at Millennium High School, about four miles south of Luke Air Force Base. The Agua Fria Union High School District gave the green light on Wednesday to add the well.
"Simply as an individual board member and being a resident right next to Luke Air Force Base, naturally anything related to water is a safety issue for our children," said Eric Cultum, a governing board member at AFUHSD.
Officials are looking for perfluorinated compounds, or PFAS, found in many common items like clothing and non-stick cookware.
Since the 1970s, military bases have used PFAS in firefighting foams, and that has been a major source of groundwater contamination on and around bases.
Cultum says the Air Force has already done testing in his neighborhood.
"So they gave us information, they also provided us later a letter communicating, based on their testing, that the water was safe,” said Cultum.
But the concerns are still urgent. A 2022 study found people with high levels of PFAS in their blood are more likely to develop liver cancer and other diseases.
RELATED: Groups working on solutions to eliminate PFAS from water
Back in 2021, residents within a mile of Luke AFB were forced to drink bottled water until the base put in a new filtration system for nearby wells.
“Our students don’t drink the water from that site. To my understanding, it’s in the groundwater several hundred feet down or however that works. There is no risk to our students in any way,” said AFUHSD Deputy Superintendent of Operations Tom Huffman.
Cultum hopes well testing at the school will not impact student learning.
ABC15 has learned Air Force investigators will only periodically come in to collect samples, lasting for at least a year. The federal government will fund the studies and send the school district any results.
Cultum says Luke AFB has been a very good partner.
"I'm sure that they want what's best for the community, so we wait on them for information that's necessary if it impacts us as a district," said Cultum.
