Plume of “forever chemicals” spreads beneath Clovis with no cleanup in sight

April Reese

Last August, dairy farmer Art Schaap received some of the worst news of his life: Both his livelihood and his health were at risk from toxic chemicals in his groundwater. Testing revealed that seven of Schaap’s 13 wells at Highland Dairy were contaminated with toxic substances that had leached into the groundwater from neighboring Cannon Air Force base. Now, almost one year later, Schaap still can’t sell milk from the dairy, and according to his doctor, his kidney function has deteriorated — a known health effect of exposure to the chemicals. Residents and local officials worry that others in the path of the underground pollution plume also may be at risk. The Air Force has not initiated cleanup, and the full extent of the contamination is unknown. As of March, the plume was 4 miles long and migrating southeast, toward an area south of the city, according to maps presented by state environment and health officials at a public meeting in Clovis on April 29. In an email last week, New Mexico Environment Department spokesperson Maddy Hayden confirmed that “previous monitoring indicates the plume may be migrating toward a few of the city's many drinking water production wells.” But the department is not tracking it. NMED Secretary James Kenney says it lacks the funding to conduct regular monitoring. The health and agriculture departments say they are not tracking it either. The Air Force, which conducted the initial water sampling, did not respond to questions about whether it has conducted or will conduct further tests of wells in the path of the plume. The lack of information about the extent of the contamination, and the lack of action on cleanup, has left many in the community frustrated. “That seems to be the $64,000 question,” said Chet Spear, a Curry County commissioner who lives near the base, which lies about 7 miles west of the city. “Nobody knows how much larger the plume’s getting and how much more water is being contaminated, because nothing is being done about it.”...MORE