By Claire Bernish

Toxic chemicals have permeated the water supply of Washington’s Whidbey Island, contaminating schools, homes, businesses, and a hospital, for years, but — even at levels considered 400 percent over what the EPA considers acceptable — the U.S. Navy hasn’t taken full responsibility for the disastrous mess, much less done anything to ameliorate the problem.

Already coping with inadequate supplies of potable water, Whidbey Islanders have had their fill of the Navy’s horrendous treatment of the environment with noxious chemicals and harrowingly loud noise. Indeed, Truthout reports — much like Flint, Michigan — many residents have no option but to use bottled water for all their needs.

“Residents are being provided bottled water by the Navy, but warned not to drink, cook or water their vegetable gardens,” Citizens for Ebeys Reserve (COER) member, Cate Andrews, told Truthout. “The Navy says, ‘Don’t worry about showering,’ but research has shown that these chemicals are transmitted through dermal absorption. Homes valued at over $1 million are unsalable, and people are trapped.”

She added, “The Navy has known of private contaminated wells for years, and is only now taking action after a threat of public exposure.”

COER is committed to protecting the land, water, and overall environment of Whidbey Island from what sounds like an all-out careless assault by the Navy — particularly given the nature of the chemical contaminants. Truthout notes,

The chemicals, Perfluorohexanesulfonic acid (PFHxS) and Perfluoroheptanoic acid (PFHpA), are perfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs), also called PFCs, and come from the AFFF firefighting foam used in training exercises at the Navy’s Outlying Landing Field (OLF) in Coupeville and Ault Field in Oak Harbor, the latter of which is at Naval Air Station Whidbey.

But the contaminants haven’t simply inundated a couple wells or remained confined to a limited area, as Rick Abraham — who has focused on toxic pollution as an advocate in the public interest for three decades — ominously explained,

They were found in the aquifer beneath the OLF airstrip in October of 2016 and are known to have migrated off-site to contaminate public and private drinking water.

One contaminated well in Coupeville next to the OLF — incidentally left open and unprotected — still services hundreds of homes, businesses, schools, and even Whidbey General Hospital.

Abraham, who has investigated PFAS contamination in multiple states, says many families near OLF were forced into using bottled water for all their needs beginning late last year — for cooking, drinking, teeth-brushing, and even watering food gardens — rebuffing the Navy’s egregiously lax attitude regarding the pernicious chemicals in favor of sensibility and concern for their loved ones.

Indeed, while it mawkishly claims to care about the public and, vaguely, that steps are being taken, the Navy hasn’t done much to alleviate searing criticism of its consciously negligent decimation of the environment nor the untenable level of contamination of the island’s already-limited potable water supply.