The Killingworth Volunteer Fire Department has been protecting this small town in Middlesex County since 1952. The firefighters are volunteers — neighbors, farmers, tradespeople who show up when the alarm goes off. For decades, when they trained on fuel fires or responded to vehicle accidents, they used AFFF — aqueous film-forming foam — because it was the most effective tool available for suppressing flammable liquid fires.
Nobody told them the foam contained PFAS. Nobody told them that PFAS doesn't break down. Nobody told them that every training exercise, every foam application, was depositing persistent chemicals into the soil beneath the fire station, from which they would slowly migrate into the groundwater below.
In 2023, Killingworth's water company detected PFOS and PFOA in its supply. The levels were below Connecticut's action levels — the state's threshold for requiring remediation. But they were there. And when private wells in town were tested, some showed PFAS as well.
Connecticut's Attorney General William Tong cited Killingworth specifically in the January 2024 lawsuit against 28 chemical manufacturers: "PFAS have been detected in private wells and the town's water supply in Killingworth, attributable to discharge of AFFF foam at the Fire Department."
The fire department didn't know. The chemical manufacturers did.
The Pattern Across Connecticut
Killingworth is not an isolated case. It is one data point in a pattern that is repeating across Connecticut and across the country.
The CT Mirror reported in August 2023 that several public water suppliers serving parts of Colchester, Cromwell, and Enfield had recently detected PFAS in their systems. The contamination sources varied — industrial facilities, military sites, fire training areas — but the mechanism was the same: PFAS from AFFF, applied over years or decades, migrating through soil into groundwater.
The CT DPH has mapped nearly 700 PFAS-contaminated sites in Connecticut. Many of them are fire stations, fire training facilities, and airports — places where AFFF was used routinely for decades.
This is a statewide problem that is being discovered town by town, well by well. In New Milford, a similar story is playing out — except there, the PFAS source is a paper mill that's been operating since the 1890s.
What Does "Below Action Levels" Actually Mean for PFAS?
When Killingworth's water company announced that PFAS had been detected but was below Connecticut's action levels, many residents interpreted this as good news. The water is safe. The levels are acceptable.
This interpretation requires some unpacking.
Connecticut's action levels were set before the EPA finalized its new maximum contaminant levels in 2024. The EPA's new limits are significantly lower than Connecticut's action levels for some PFAS compounds. Water that is "below Connecticut's action levels" may still be above the new federal limits that utilities must meet by 2031.
More fundamentally, the EPA set its new limits at 4–10 parts per trillion because the science on PFAS health effects supports no higher limit. "Below action levels" is a regulatory category, not a health guarantee. Fairfield County residents are already facing this reality — utilities there won't meet the new federal PFAS limits until 2031.
Should You Test for PFAS If You Live Near a Connecticut Fire Station?
The honest implication of the Killingworth story is uncomfortable: any Connecticut town with a fire station that used AFFF — which is most of them — has a potential PFAS contamination source. The contamination may be minimal. It may be significant. Without testing, you don't know.
If you live within a half-mile of a fire station, a fire training facility, or an airport in Connecticut, and you're on a private well, PFAS testing is not optional. The EWG's interactive PFAS contamination map can help you identify known contamination sites near you. Testing is the only way to know whether the decades of fire training in your neighborhood have affected your water.
Wondering if PFAS is in your drinking water? Enter your ZIP code at CheckYourTap.com to see what's in your tap water — free, in 30 seconds.
Keep Reading
- New Milford Residents Found PFAS in Their Wells. The Source Was a Paper Mill That's Been There for a Century.
- Fairfield County Has a PFAS Problem and Your Water Bill Won't Fix It Until 2031
- The Connection Between Your Water, Your Thyroid, and Your Hair That Nobody Is Making
Frequently Asked Questions
Can fire departments contaminate drinking water?
Yes. Fire departments that used AFFF (aqueous film-forming foam) for training or fighting fuel fires deposited PFAS into the soil, which migrates into groundwater over time. In Killingworth, the volunteer fire department's decades of AFFF use contaminated the town's water supply and nearby private wells. CT DPH has mapped nearly 700 PFAS-contaminated sites statewide, many of which are fire stations and training facilities.
What are Connecticut's PFAS action levels vs. the new EPA limits?
Connecticut's action levels were set before the EPA finalized its 2024 maximum contaminant levels. The EPA's new limits are significantly lower — 4 parts per trillion for PFOS and PFOA individually. Water that is "below Connecticut's action levels" may still exceed the new federal limits that utilities must meet by 2031. "Below action levels" is a regulatory category, not a health guarantee.
Should I test my well for PFAS if I live near a fire station?
Yes. If you live within a half-mile of a fire station, fire training facility, or airport in Connecticut and you're on a private well, PFAS testing is recommended. Most fire departments used AFFF for decades before the health risks were understood. The contamination is invisible and odorless — testing is the only way to know if it has reached your well. A comprehensive PFAS test typically costs $200–$400 through a certified lab.
Sources: CT Attorney General William Tong, PFAS Lawsuit Press Release, January 25, 2024; CT Mirror, "More CT Towns Are Finding PFAS in Their Water Supplies," August 2023; CT DPH PFAS Information; Town of Killingworth PFAS Information Page; CT DEEP PFAS Information for Municipalities.