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Air Force officials explain Kirtland jet fuel spill
The Air Force, under pressure from state regulators, has agreed to drill additional groundwater wells to try to determine how close leaked jet fuel is to Albuquerque water supply wells. But how many wells will be drilled remains an open question.
The Air Force had proposed three shallow wells between known areas of contamination and the nearest municipal water supply wells, but in a letter Friday the New Mexico Environment Department called that proposal “inadequate” given the threat to the municipal drinking water supply.
In response, the Air Force has agreed to an additional six wells beneath southeast Albuquerque in an effort to determine how deep into the aquifer the contamination has reached, top base civilian official Tom Berardinelli said at a community meeting Wednesday.
But the Air Force and state regulators are still in discussions about another 24 monitoring wells the state called for in its April 13 letter. More background on the NMED’s concerns here.
The Air Force will be at this evening’s (Wed. 4/18) meeting of the Albuquerque Bernalillo County Water Utility Authority Board (5 p.m. at Albuquerque City Hall, in the council chamber). I’ll be there, and have more in tomorrow morning’s paper.
-- Email the reporter at jfleck@abqjournal.com. Call the reporter at 505-823-3916
