Tacoma Water Company Sues DoD Over PFAS Contamination

July 23, 2020
Base Redevelopment/ Environmental Cleanup | Congress/DoD | On Base

Lakewood Water District in Washington state has filed a lawsuit against the Department of Defense and related manufacturers over the use of a firefighting foam containing PFAS (aka “forever chemical”).

The fire retardant, used over 35 years at Joint Base Lewis-McChord (JBLM), has seeped into the groundwater supply of the surrounding area, reports the News Tribune.

District officials say the cleanup of the cancer-causing chemical will take over 50 years to remediate and cost over $377 million.

Although the lawsuit was filed July 16 in U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington, reports say the case will convalesce into a larger PFAS case in the U.S. District Court for the District of South Carolina.

Photo by Airman 1st Class Amber Powell // U.S. Air Force

July 23, 2020
Base Redevelopment/ Environmental Cleanup | Congress/DoD | On Base

Recent News

New Guidance on DOD Civilian Hiring Freeze

New Guidance on DOD Civilian Hiring Freeze

Mar 18, 2025

The heads of the military services may now ask for exemptions to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s blanket hiring freeze for all civilian positions, according to a new memo. “While the Department remains under the hiring freeze, DOD will only hire mission-essential...

Military Reopens Recruitment Test Sites

Military Reopens Recruitment Test Sites

Mar 18, 2025

The sites across the country where military recruits take the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery test are open again. They had been briefly closed because of sweeping DOGE cuts, as Task & Purpose reported. DOGE leaders had deemed that military officials’...

Navy Destroyer Deployed in Immigration Policy Push

Navy Destroyer Deployed in Immigration Policy Push

Mar 18, 2025

In an unusual move, the Trump administration has deployed Navy Destroyer USS Gravely from Naval Weapons Station Yorktown, Virginia as part of its military buildup on and near the Mexico border, as Military.com reported. “Gravely’s sea-going capacity improves our...

Shutdown Averted; Leaders to Discuss Budget at Summit

Shutdown Averted; Leaders to Discuss Budget at Summit

Mar 17, 2025

President Trump signed a stopgap spending bill Saturday that kept the government open and operating at fiscal year 2024 spending levels through September, the end of fiscal year 2025. The bill provides a small boost for defense spending and secures funding for a...

Feinberg Confirmed as Deputy Secretary

Feinberg Confirmed as Deputy Secretary

Mar 17, 2025

Stephen Feinberg was confirmed by the Senate Friday to become deputy secretary of defense. “His appointment is well-deserved, and he’s the right man for the job, the stakes couldn’t be higher. Let’s get to work,” Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said, according to a DOD...

PAST STORIES