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20th Civil Engineer Squadron hosts annual Restoration Advisory Board

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Kevin Dunkleberger
  • 20th Fighter Wing Public Affairs
SUMTER, S.C. --  Shaw Air Force Base’s 20th Civil Engineer Squadron held their annual Restoration Advisory Board with support from the Air Force Civil Engineer Center at Cherryvale Elementary School on Aug. 26.

The RAB is a public forum designed to discuss the Department of the Air Force’s environmental restoration program, focused on efforts in the areas surrounding Shaw AFB. Community members were invited to learn about impacts in the local community, and provide input on current and future projects.

This year, the 20th CES and AFCEC introduced an Environmental Open House as part of the event to communicate the progress made since the previous RAB. The open house included graphic displays, computer-aided design renderings and local maps to show the Shaw AFB’s environmental restoration efforts over the past year.

A major priority for Shaw AFB’s environmental restoration program is updating the community regarding actions taken pertaining to perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances, better known as PFAS.

In previous years, two PFAS compounds - perfluorooctane sulfonate and perfluorooctanoic acid, commonly referred to as PFOS and PFOA - were identified in water sources at and around Shaw AFB.

PFOS and PFOA are not unique to military installations and can be found in commercial and industrial products such as nail polish, makeup, toilet paper, and firefighting foam - to name a few.

Initially, Shaw AFB took interim immediate actions to mitigate risks at high exposure areas, such as providing clean bottled water for impacted properties in the community and disconnecting Base Well 3, a source of drinking water on the installation, which contained levels of PFOS and PFOA.

Now, more long-term actions both on base and within the community are beginning to come to fruition.

“Over the previous spring and summer, we connected 19 properties that were impacted to clean municipal water, with another 30 connections planned next year,” said Christopher Wargo, AFCEC remedial project manager. “We’re conducting a remedial investigation to step away from the source area. By collecting and evaluating data, the final report will give recommendations on where our next sampling should be and if we need to expand out further, ensuring we identify all impacted areas requiring corrective measures.”

A range of personnel from the 20th CES who have been active in visiting residents off base and testing water samples, as well as completing water connections, shared their insights and commitment to being a responsible neighbor in the Sumter community during the board meeting.

Among those was U.S. Air Force Lt. Col. Mark Johanning, 20th CES commander, who echoed this commitment to local residents.

“We want to be open, honest and transparent with the community,” said Johanning. “We live here, we are part of the community. We drink the same water everybody else is drinking. [It’s important to] continue this partnership to make sure we are helping each other out, taking care of any contaminants that may be out there, and working to make it better as time goes on.”

In addition to the actions in the off-base community, the AFCEC is upgrading Base Well 3 to be outfitted with a new resin PFAS filter and is on target to complete construction on a new groundwater treatment plant around December 2024.

The Base Well 3 filter will remove PFAS prior to sending it to the base’s drinking water system, while the new groundwater treatment plant will remove PFAS to help prevent further migration off base.

“We take very seriously our charge to support and sustain not only the combat airpower out on the flightline, but the service members and families that call Shaw home,” said Col. Kevin Hicok, 20th Fighter Wing commander.

“Part of that mission is continuing our great relationship with the community outside our gates and doing everything we can to address environmental concerns as soon as we know about them. This year’s RAB is one critical piece of that puzzle— and the input we receive there each year absolutely informs the way we stay in tune with our community.”

Community members and personnel assigned to Shaw AFB are invited to engage in open dialogue at the next RAB meeting, which is tentatively scheduled for May 19, 2025.