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Thousands near Luke Air Force Base had tainted drinking water; investigation underway
Published
Luke AFB distributing bottled water due to chemicals finding
According to a news release on Feb. 23, sampling of the water indicated the presence of 2 chemicals at levels above the EPA s lifetime health advisory for drinking water.
LUKE AIR FORCE BASE, Ariz. - The Arizona agency that regulates utilities is calling together water companies near Luke Air Force Base in metro Phoenix, where drinking water was found to be contaminated with chemicals commonly found in firefighting foam.
The Arizona Corporation Commission is holding an emergency open meeting on March 3 to discuss the recent discovery of the chemicals which prompted the U.S. Air Force to start distributing bottled water to thousands of residents and business owners.
Officials with the Arizona Corporation Commission say yhey will hold an emergency open meeting to discuss the recent discovery of chemical contamination of water near Luke Air Force Base in Phoenix.
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The bill calls for the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality to publish a list of protected streams and rivers and adopt water quality standards for them.
Stefanie Smallhouse, president of the Arizona Farm Bureau Federation, says, It clarifies a lot of things and it puts the state in the driver’s seat which is where we believe they should be. The framework that’s been proposed strikes the right balance between clean water and clear rules.
Smallhouse says it makes sense to leave dry washes out of the rules because that’s about land use, not clean water. But conservation groups oppose the bill for leaving many ephemeral waterways unprotected. Haley Paul of the National Audubon Society adds the bill is weaker than the former federal protections.
The Arizona’s First Regular Session of the 55
th Legislature has been moving along at a pretty fast and steady pace. A total of 40 bills have already been sent to the Governor’s desk; and 32 of those have been signed into law with the remaining eight bills under consideration. These bills were fast tracked through the process because most of them were close to being sent to the Governor’s desk last session prior to COVID prematurely ending the session. To fast track a bill, an identical bill (“mirror bill”) is introduced in both chambers and ran simultaneously with an agreement between the sponsors of each bill that either the House Bill (“HB”) will be Third Read (voted) in the House, transmitted to the Senate and then substituted out for the Senate Bill (“SB”), Final Read (voted) and then transmitted to the Governor or vice versa.