The town of Marana — just north of Tucson — is suing the federal government over water contamination issues tied to military and airport facilities nearby.
The town is asking for federal compensation for the money it’s spent and will spend cleaning up PFAS in its drinking water.
PFAS are a group of human-made chemicals found in a range of consumer and commercial products — including a special firefighting foam used for years at airports and military sites, like the Davis-Monthan Air Force Base on Tucson’s south side.
The suit alleges Davis-Monthan has taken “no action to stop or even mitigate” PFAS contamination into Marana’s water supplies. And it also hasn’t agreed to pay for damages or reimburse the town for its own efforts.
Earlier this year, the EPA put in place the first-ever federally-enforceable limits on PFAS in drinking water and is requiring water providers to come into compliance within the next five years.
Both Marana and Tucson have already spent millions in their own funds treating contamination from the chemicals. More than two dozen wells have also been forced to shut down in areas where contamination is too high to treat.
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