“I have said nothing because I thought I was only going to make things worse in terms of hysteria,” Zern said. She added that a number of homeowners in the area have privately gotten wells tested for PFAS. “They are panicked because they think that the airport has somehow affected them,” Zern said. Myrick said Long Pond (a.k.a Long Cove) in West Tisbury seemed to be the dispersion point, based on the tests, and this knowledge will help the firm’s efforts to find a solution to the contaminants.Ĭommission secretary Kristin Zern wanted clarification about why there were houses near Tiah’s Cove in West Tisbury that detected PFAS contamination in its wells, which caused concern for the local homeowners association. The firm primarily tested for PFAS contaminants that the airport had at its facilities for the foam that are not in stock anymore, such as a combination made primarily of perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS). In 2018, PFAS contaminants believed to be from firefighting foam used at the airport were found in the neighborhoods Tetra Tech is now testing. However, there are some anomalies in testing areas with a “red in a sea of blues.” By testing groundwater at various depths, different formulations of PFAS chemicals were found at various locations. Orange and red coded areas, which represent the highest PFAS levels, were “unsurprisingly” closer to the airport, according to Myrick. We’re not seeing it go from 16, 17, 18 parts per trillion to 500 or a thousand,” Myrick told the commission, adding that the contaminants usually follow the same pathways they’ve been traveling since first being released decades ago. “We had a couple that were 16, 17, 18 parts per trillion that went up into the 20s. While there were some light blues that went up to the green status, which represents detection of at least the state’s PFAS limit of 20 parts per trillion, there were no drastic changes in amounts. more wells monitored, collecting samples from groundwater at various depths), and a six-month report sent to MassDEP.Ī color-coded map shown by Myrick displayed that the majority of tested areas, colored in blue, which means no or very little PFAS was detected. These included testing the performance of 50 water treatment systems, testing 200 wells that had trace levels of PFAS (of the 200 south of the airport sampled periodically, 100 are sampled actively), a comprehensive site assessment investigation as a part of phase II of the project (e.g. He listed four tasks the firm completed during fiscal year 2022, which had a budget of $340,000. “Martha’s Vineyard Airport was one of the first, if not the first, that actively reached out to engage and identify this issue and respond to it,” Myrick said, mentioning the commendations the airport has received from the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP). Myrick said Tetra Tech is now “four years into this project,” of which it completed the first stage of PFAS investigations in April 2019. The chemicals have also been known to create a cancer risk. PFAS describes a family of long-lasting chemicals that break down very slowly, which is also why they are nicknamed “forever chemicals.” Extended periods of exposure to PFAS or high concentrations of the chemicals are toxic, and can affect developing fetuses, thyroid, liver, kidneys, hormone levels, and the immune system.
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