OPINION: Faster action needed on Kirtland cleanup

The Water Protection Advisory Board (WPAB) advises the city of Albuquerque, Bernalillo County and the Albuquerque Bernalillo County Water Authority on the quality and protection of surface and groundwater resources. As the community observes Earth Day this week, and as chair of the WPAB, I am writing to express WPAB’s deep concerns about the slow progress of cleanup of the Kirtland Air Force Base fuel leak.

The leak, originating from a bulk jet fuel storage facility, was first discovered in 1999. Since then, cleanup efforts by the Air Force have been fitful at best. Significant amounts of spilled fuel remain in the aquifer, threatening our local drinking water supply. We therefore request that the Air Force take the following actions to expedite cleanup:

First, the WPAB requests that the Air Force reinitiate early technical collaboration with the water authority. Collaborative meetings between the Air Force, New Mexico Environment Department and the water authority occurred on a regular basis until 2018 when the Air Force stopped participating. These working groups were extremely productive, facilitating design and installation of the current groundwater pump and treat system at the spill site. Reinstating early technical collaboration will result in early consensus on a cleanup approach.

The WPAB also requests resumption of interim treatment of remaining fuel in the soil. Active remediation of fuel in the soil was “temporarily” stopped in 2015 to assess cleanup progress. Rather than reinitiating the fuel treatment after this stoppage, the Air Force dismantled all of the treatment equipment. As a result, the aquifer remains impacted by jet fuel, and continues to be unavailable for use by the water authority.

Finally, we urge the Air Force to move quickly to reinstate interim measures that were underway at the site for several years while the selection process for final remedy is ongoing. However, the Air Force continues to delay this, which ultimately delays the final cleanup timeline.

In a drought-prone area such as Albuquerque, protecting our water resources is critical to the resilience of our community. The longer the cleanup of the fuel spill takes, the longer our water resources — and the community itself — remain at risk.