Firefighting foam from a fire suppression system that malfunctioned inside a large airport hangar at the former Brunswick Naval Air Station on the ground near Picnic Pond in Brunswick on Aug. 20. The accidental discharge of firefighting foam concentrate containing dangerous “forever chemicals” has alarmed some residents. Photo by Steve Walker/ Brunswick-Topsham Land Trust

Brunswick Town Hall announced on Sunday that it would be hosting a special public meeting in the wake of the largest firefighting foam spill the state has seen in 30 years.

As crews continued to work on cleaning up the toxic firefighting foam — known as AFFF (aqueous film-forming foam) — that was released on Aug. 19, District 4 Councilor Sande Updegraph announced the town would host an information session this Thursday. Among the attendees are state Sen. Mattie Daughtry, Rep. Dan Ankeles, and representatives from the Maine Department of Environmental Protection and Center for Disease Control and Prevention. Town Council Chairperson Abby King will lead the forum.

The announcement comes just a week after about 1,450 gallons of AFFF, which contains forever chemicals known as PFAS, was released during a firefighting system malfunction early last Monday at Hangar 4 in Brunswick Executive Airport.

According to Town Hall officials, DEP Commissioner Melanie Loyzim, state toxicologist Andy Smith and Dr. David Page, a member of the Restoration Advisory Board, are expected to be in attendance. It is not immediately clear if a representative from Midcoast Regional Redevelopment Authority, the agency that operates the former military base, will attend.

Ankeles said that he aims for the session to gather local leaders and cleanup authorities as a panel, and address questions from the public. He said that he plans to have participants clarify what exactly happened, address misinformation and facts, highlight what cleanup will look like, and cover potential long-term policy changes stemming from the spill.

“This is a way for people to make sure they’re being listened to and heard,” Ankeles said, adding that it is important that information is shared in one place at the same time, making sure that the public is not left in a “communications vacuum.”

At-Large Councilor James Ecker revealed in a Monday email that council was working on an emergency resolution requesting a list of immediate actions to be taken by the Maine DEP and MRRA.

“This was, by any measure, a serious tragedy, one that I believe was avoidable,” Ecker wrote. “I am expecting we will develop an appropriate response for the community.”

The DEP, which is in involved in the cleanup effort, downplayed the risk to private drinking wells in a press conference at the former air base last Wednesday. However, Smith said that the public health risk that might be posed from inhaling the foam, which was seen blowing around Brunswick Landing throughout the week, is not yet understood.

A worker adjusts a colleague’s hazmat suit hood as crews cleaned up foam at Picnic Pond on Thursday, Aug. 22. Kristian Moravec / The Times Record

The Brunswick & Topsham Water District has confirmed there is currently no risk to the public water supply, and it has increased its PFAS monitoring and sent samples for testing. Results are expected in September.

It also confirmed that the spill occurred outside of the nearby aquafer boundary and that the Jordan Avenue Well field is set up to detect potential contamination long before it reaches taps.

The meeting is at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 29, at Brunswick Town Hall. Those interested in participating can do so in person or via Zoom. TV3 will broadcast live feed of the meeting.

A long history of contamination

The Environmental Protection Agency placed the former naval air station on a national priority list of superfund sites — locations contaminated with hazardous materials — in 1987, allowing it to regulate cleanup. Superfund sites can only be removed from the national priority list if the EPA determines that no further cleanup action at a site is required.

An agreement was made in 1990 to organize contamination study and cleanup efforts between the Navy, DEP and EPA. Since then, entities like the Restoration Advisory Board — a board within the nonprofit Brunswick Area Citizens for a Safe Environment — formed to assist with toxic waste cleanup at the airport. Environmental and conservation groups, such as Friends of Merrymeeting Bay, also began to test water sources for potential contamination near the base.

Last week’s spill renewed environmental concern as foam was spotted bubbling up through nearby manholes and retention bodies of water, such as Picnic Pond on Neptune Drive. Cleaning crews were seen throughout the week containing the foam and removing contaminated material.

A Unified Command and Joint Information Center — comprised of the DEP, CDC, MRRA, EPA, Town of Brunswick and U.S. Coast Guard — was established on Aug. 20, the day after the incident to streamline incident response and information sharing. Tenants at the Landing, however, said that communication about the incident were insufficient.

Cleanup efforts are still ongoing. Brunswick Fire Deputy Chief Josh Shean said that fire suppression systems and foam tanks are completely shut down to avoid further incidents. He does not yet know if the remaining foam in the Hangar will be removed, though the short-term plan is to convert Hangar 4 into a storage-only facility — meaning planes must defuel before parking inside.

“At least in the meantime, no foam will be going back into Hangar 4,” Shean said.

MRRA announced on its website on Sunday that people who spot foam outside of taped off areas should call 844-8040.