On February 18, 2021, Luke Air Force Base (Luke AFB) notified Valley Utilities Water Company (VUWCO) and its customers that the supply wells for the utility had levels of certain Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) higher than the 2016 U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Health Advisory Level (HAL) of 70 parts per trillion (ppt).

To help inform ADEQ’s ongoing efforts to protect public health through identifying and assisting public water systems that are impacted by PFAS, ADEQ sent the following correspondence on March 9, 2021:

• A joint letter with the Arizona Corporation Commission to Luke Air Force Base requesting PFAS data and regular and close coordination on PFAS. | Letter to Luke AFB >
• A letter to 10 public water systems ADEQ identified within a four-mile radius of Luke Air Force Base that provide drinking water to more than 50,000 people and which could potentially be impacted by PFAS. The letter strongly encouraged these public water systems to provide ADEQ with any PFAS sampling results they have, as well as allow ADEQ to conduct additional sampling and testing for PFAS at no cost to the water systems.

ADEQ is making available the PFAS data we requested and received from public water systems in the area near Luke AFB for public review in the PFAS Data Overview table that follows.

Please note that ADEQ sampled some of the public water systems listed in the table as part of our ongoing PFAS screening program for public water systems with wells near areas of potential frequent PFAS use, which included military sites. Results for the initial screening program conducted in 2018 showed more than 94 percent of the public water systems were either non-detect for PFAS tested or below EPA’s HAL | View First Phase Report >

Public water systems with PFAS test results higher than EPA’s HAL are voluntarily working with ADEQ to reduce exposure to customers and ADEQ is conducting expanded sampling and testing of these systems and initial screening for an additional 27 systems as part of the second phase of the screening expected to be completed in the fall of 2021.

PFAS Data Overview | Public Water Systems (Luke Air Force Base Area)