Years of work ahead to study chemical pollution at NASA site

By SARAH RANKIN
Associated Press

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) - NASA officials say they are in the beginning stages of studying the extent of contamination from dangerous industrial chemicals that penetrated the drinking water of Chincoteague, an island town near the agency's Wallops Flight Facility.

The facility on Virginia's Eastern Shore has been providing supplemental drinking water to the town for more than a year, since testing of Chincoteague's wells on Wallops property showed the presence of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, referred to as PFAS.

While the short-term solution has been reached for the town's water, NASA recently submitted a long-term site investigation plan for review by federal and state officials. It will help researchers understand how widespread the PFAS is and how it can be remediated.

NASA says this effort will involve years of work.

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