Army groundwater cleanup at former Fort Ord continues. Army representatives reported substantial reductions in several contamination plumes and said the groundwater remedy at Operable Unit 1 is complete. For the Operable Unit 2 and upper 180-foot carbon tetrachloride treatment systems, they reported roughly 13 billion gallons treated and 1,500 pounds of contaminants removed. Carbon tetrachloride remains in the lower 180-foot aquifer, where some district supply wells are partially screened, but no district wells are within the plume. The Army shares information from its 450-well monitoring network with the district; that information helps inform the district’s groundwater model. The Army projects meeting cleanup objectives for the Operable Unit Carbon Tetrachloride Plume around 2041. Asked about outside pumping, including proposed slant wells, an Army representative explained that CERCLA provides a process for assessing potentially responsible parties if activities beyond the Army’s control affect contamination.
PFAS investigations are ongoing; district supply wells have had no reported detections. The Army is advancing investigations at seven former Fort Ord sites and assessing five additional sites identified through information about past fire-department training. Potential sources include areas where firefighting foam was used and the former unengineered landfills. Investigation work at the five additional sites is expected in 2027. The district tests its supply wells for PFAS and is expanding testing across its system as a precaution.
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