A stormwater discharge permit for the U.S. Army’s sprawling base at Fort Belvoir has drawn vocal pushback from environmental advocates concerned about the spread of PFAS into the Chesapeake Bay.
PFAS, or per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, are man-made chemicals that don’t easily degrade in nature. They accumulate readily in the human body and are linked with higher levels of cancer and developmental delays at high rates of exposure.
Fort Belvoir is among a number of Army installations around the country to document high levels of the chemicals in groundwater. Army scientists trace the chemicals to a type of fast-acting firefighting foam made with high levels of PFAS. The Army found similar PFAS pollution coming from installations near the Richmond Airport, which has contaminated areas of the White Oak Swamp neighborhood in eastern Henrico.
The recent controversy comes as Virginia regulators are in the process of writing new regulations for the base that determine what chemicals it can release into waterways that flow into the Potomac River. A proposed permit presented this year by the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality does not include thresholds or testing for PFAS.
Environmental groups and local politicians have mobilized against the permit several times this year. The permit has since been deemed “controversial” in the wake of significant public comment submitted in opposition to the proposal in its current form.
Among those to express concern was Virginia State Sen. Scott Surovell, D-Fairfax, who called on DEQ to ensure the facility met the “highest standards.”
“The communities I represent deserve the strongest possible environmental protections, particularly when dealing with persistent contaminants like PFAS that can remain in the environment and human body for decades,” Surovell wrote in a public comment solicited by DEQ as part of the permit proposal.
Other environmental groups cited concerns that the chemicals would accumulate in American shad and striped bass, which spawn upstream in the Potomac every spring.
The DEQ declined to comment on the pushback to the permit, referring to statements made in response to public comments in August. There, the agency said that PFAS limits were not included because Fort Belvoir “is not upstream of surface water intake for a public water system.” The agency said it took direction from the General Assembly, who have prioritized removing PFAS from drinking water.
“The Virginia General Assembly has directed the focus of both DEQ’s and the Virginia Department of Health’s efforts, as they pertain to PFAS, to address watersheds which are a source of raw water supply for potable water that have the most risk for elevated PFAS levels in the finished drinking water,” the agency said.
In explaining the decision, permit writers also said it was the responsibility of the federal Environmental Protection Agency to set broader standards for PFAS for aquatic life and general human health. The DEQ added that it was writing in a “special condition” allowing the permit to be reopened later to change those limits, including for PFAS.
As awareness around PFAS grows, Virginia has faced pressure to impose stricter limits on their production and release. Outside of firefighting foam, the chemicals are also known to be released from industrial manufacturers and landfills. For years, PFAS were commercially sought after: they provided the original non-stick coating used in Teflon, as well as flame and stain resistance in carpets.
The Potomac Riverkeeper Network and the Southern Environmental Law Center say that under the Clean Water Act, Virginia has the authority to take initiative, rather than await instruction from federal regulators or the General Assembly.
“The Clean Water Act calls for DEQ to take these measures at Fort Belvoir, and the public health and welfare compel it,” said Mark Sabath, senior attorney for the Southern Environmental Law Center.
Following a national directive in 2019, the U.S. Army conducted investigations into PFAS pollution at all its military installations. In 2022, the Army released findings for Fort Belvoir, identifying “areas of interest” tested at as much as 1,000 times risk screening levels used for drinking water.
Of 17 areas of interest at the base, 12 exceeded risk-based screening levels prescribed by the Office of the Secretary of Defense, the Army report found.
The report stressed that drinking water supplies didn’t seem to be affected by the pollution, but still recommended further investigation, finding that groundwater near firefighting training sites discharged into a creek that runs into the Potomac River.
A spokesperson for the Army said cleanup efforts, including a switch from old forms of firefighting foam, were underway at the base. “As the Army’s investigation progresses, the Army will consider removal and/or remedial actions to address PFAS impacts identified at Fort Belvoir,” Lieutenant Colonel Elias Chelala said in an emailed statement. Chelala said the Army has not sampled its stormwater outfalls to date, but that it would do so if investigations deemed the testing necessary.
David Flores, senior legal counsel with the Potomac Riverkeeper Network, reads the DEQ’s proposed permit as part of a pattern of hands-off oversight allowed for the corporations, cities and military installations it is required to regulate. The agency has similarly declined to impose PFAS testing requirements on biosolids, the PFAS-laden fertilizer applied to thousands of acres of Virginia farmland every year.
Earlier this year, environmental advocates were joined by Virginia watermen, who rely on the health of the Chesapeake Bay for their catch, in calling for a moratorium on biosolid application.
“Their position is, ‘let’s fly blind,’” said Flores. “And that’s really troubling. Especially in the context of a contaminant like PFAS.”
In July, a new law took effect designed to protect the Occoquan Reservoir, a key source of raw drinking water for Fairfax County several miles from Fort Belvoir. According to Fairfax Water, the county water authority, the Occoquan Reservoir slightly exceeded PFAS limits advanced by the EPA for drinking water in 2024. The county has estimated remediation will cost $389 million over the next six years.
Industrial chemical maker Micron and several farms were identified as the source of that pollution, the county said. Fort Belvoir’s runoff does not touch the reservoir.
Virginia legislators also established a PFAS Expert Advisory Committee in 2024, aimed at developing solutions to reduce and eliminate the discharge of PFAS. In December 2024, early survey data found that drinking water supplies for around 2.5 million Virginians exceeded contaminant levels for the chemicals.