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VIEW THIS MAP FULLSCREEN IN A NEW WINDOWThe ten square-mile Tucson International Airport Area Superfund Site is depicted using orange diagonal lines. The site includes Tucson International Airport, Sections of the Tohono O'odham Nation (San Xavier District), Tucson and South Tucson residential areas, and Air Force Plant #44 Raytheon Missile Systems Company (AFP44). The site has contaminated groundwater and soil from former aircraft and electronics manufacturing and aircraft maintenance, fire drill trainings, and the leaking of chemicals from unlined landfills.
For more information about this story, listen to this week’s episode of Tapped, our podcast about water.
The U.S. Air Force and Arizona Air National Guard have not yet submitted their plans to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to clean up the Tucson International Airport Superfund Site.
In May, the EPA issued an administrative emergency order calling on the Air Force and Air National Guard to address the threat of per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances known as PFAS, in the groundwater underlying the Tucson Area Remediation Project .
Last month the agency granted the Air Force a 30 day extension to submit a water treatment plan but the department of defense continues to contest the original order.
The Air Force argues that the EPA should drop the order, citing a lack of urgency and threat to human health.
This is a developing story, the Air Force must provide a framework by the end of this month or face civil penalty fees up to $29,154 each day failure of compliance continues.
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