If a lawsuit filed by two State of New Mexico agencies proves successful, new water treatment systems and water lines will be built on the grounds of the Cannon U.S. Air Force Base.
The lawsuit, spearheaded by the Departments of Environment and Justice, is in response to a 2018 spill of some 4,000 gallons of per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances into the base’s groundwater.
In the wake of the lawsuit, Raul Torrez, the Attorney General of New Mexico, said, “PFAS contamination poses a serious and longterm threat to our environment and our communities.”
Added Torrez in a statement: “We are committed to using every legal tool available to hold the federal government accountable for the damage done on the base and the surrounding community.”
The lawsuit is also demanding that Cannon must build and install stormwater controls and retention basins, while additionally ending all use of firefighting foam containing PFAS for anything other than emergency purposes.
Earlier this month, Cannon announced that it was opening a treatment facility at the southeast corner of the base to “mitigate any further migration of PFAS off-base.”
In a statement dated June 5, Cannon also said it has begun an effort to treat impacted groundwater “with a full-scale pump and treat system.”
The lawsuit, officially against the United States of America and the U.S. Department of the Air Force, has been filed in the State of New Mexico County of Santa Fe First Judicial Court.
June 26, 2025
By Garry Boulard
