PFAS Near Military Bases: 1,183 Sites Analyzed

Data source: ZipCheckup analysis of DoD installation data, EPA ECHO PFAS records

When the Department of Defense trained firefighters at military bases across America, the foam they used was remarkably effective at extinguishing fuel fires. It was also laced with PFAS — chemicals now known to persist in groundwater essentially forever.

We analyzed 1,183 US military installations against EPA PFAS contamination records. The result: 844 bases — 71% — have PFAS contamination detected in surrounding areas.

This isn't a localized problem. It spans every military branch, every state, and impacts millions of Americans who may not realize their proximity to a base is affecting their water.

The AFFF Legacy

AFFF (Aqueous Film-Forming Foam) has been the military's primary firefighting tool since the 1960s. It works by smothering fuel fires with a layer of foam — critical for jet fuel fires on aircraft carriers, flight lines, and fuel depots.

The problem: AFFF contains PFAS compounds (PFOS and PFOA primarily) that leach into soil and groundwater. Unlike most contaminants, PFAS don't break down. They migrate through aquifers, contaminating drinking water wells miles from the original discharge point.

Every fire training exercise. Every emergency response. Every equipment test. Decades of AFFF use at 1,183 installations created a contamination footprint that is still expanding.

The Numbers by Branch

PFAS contamination correlates with installation size, mission type, and AFFF usage history:

Air Force and Navy installations show the highest PFAS rates, which makes sense: these branches have the most aircraft, the most fuel, and the most fire training exercises.

Geographic Hotspots

PFAS contamination near military bases concentrates in states with the highest base density:

California's 88 affected installations is staggering — but reflects the state's military footprint, with major Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marine Corps presence.

PFAS Clusters: When Multiple Bases Contaminate the Same Region

Our anomaly engine also identified 1,207 PFAS cluster zones — areas where 3 or more adjacent ZIP codes all show PFAS exceedances. These clusters often form around military installations but extend far beyond base boundaries.

For example:

• Yorktown Heights, NY (10598) — 4 adjacent ZIPs all exceed PFAS limits, forming a contamination plume
• Haverstraw, NY (10927) — 3-ZIP cluster near the Hudson River
• Hillburn, NY (10931) — 4-ZIP cluster suggesting a shared contamination source

Florida leads all states with 137 PFAS cluster ZIPs, followed by New York (100), Texas (99), Pennsylvania (89), and California (87). The cluster pattern strongly suggests shared contamination sources — and military bases are among the most common.

The 2024 PFAS Standards

In April 2024, the EPA finalized the first-ever national drinking water standards for PFAS:

• PFOA: 4 parts per trillion (ppt)
• PFOS: 4 ppt
• PFHxS, PFNA, HFPO-DA (GenX): 10 ppt each
• Mixtures: Hazard Index of 1

These limits are extraordinarily low — 4 parts per trillion is equivalent to about 4 drops of water in 20 Olympic-sized swimming pools. Many communities near military bases have PFAS levels hundreds or thousands of times above these new limits.

Disclosure is the exception, not the rule: across the 5,572 public utilities tracked in the CCR Rich Dataset, only 753 (13.5%) disclose PFAS detections with a substances list in their published CCR — meaning roughly 4,800 utilities don't itemize PFAS findings even where the chemicals have been measured.

Water systems have until 2029 to comply, but remediation technology is expensive and deployment is slow. In the interim, residents bear the exposure.

What Communities Near Bases Should Know

Check Your Exposure

1. Look up your ZIP code at ZipCheckup. Our reports include PFAS detection data and proximity to known contamination sources.
2. Check the PFAS cluster map. If your ZIP is in a cluster zone, contamination likely extends beyond individual water system boundaries.
3. Request PFAS testing from your water utility. Under the new standards, all systems serving 3,300+ people must test by 2027, but smaller systems have until 2029.

Protect Your Household

4. Install a PFAS-certified filter. Reverse osmosis and activated carbon filters with NSF P473 certification can remove PFAS from drinking water. See our PFAS filter guide for recommendations.
5. Test your well if you have one. Private wells near military bases are particularly vulnerable because they draw from the same contaminated aquifer without the treatment that public systems (eventually) receive.

Know Your Rights

6. Military base cleanup. The DoD is responsible for investigating and remediating PFAS contamination from its installations. Check the DoD PFAS Task Force for your base's status.
7. Health screening. PFAS exposure is linked to cancer, thyroid disease, immune suppression, and reproductive issues. If you've lived near an affected base for years, discuss PFAS blood testing with your doctor.

The Cost of Cleanup

The DoD estimates PFAS remediation across all installations will cost tens of billions of dollars. Some estimates exceed $30 billion. This doesn't include the cost of providing alternative water supplies, health monitoring, or property value losses for surrounding communities.

Progress is slow. As of 2026, most installations are still in the investigation phase. Full remediation at many sites is projected for the 2030s or later. Until then, 844 installations and their surrounding communities remain exposed.

The data is in the ground, in the water, and in the public record. You can check your proximity and exposure risk at ZipCheckup — because knowing is the first step toward protection.

Methodology: Military base data sourced from Department of Defense installation records (1,183 active installations). PFAS proximity determined by cross-referencing base locations with EPA ECHO PFAS detection data and state-reported PFAS monitoring results. "PFAS nearby" indicates PFAS compounds detected in water systems or monitoring wells within the base's watershed. Data current as of March 2026.