Griffiss Air Force Base is a 3,552-acre former military facility in Rome, New York that operated from 1943 until 1995. It was added to the Superfund National Priorities List (NPL) in 1987. The site is divided into 43 operable units, each targeting a specific area or type of contamination. About 2,900 acres have been removed from the NPL, while the remaining roughly 600 acres are still in the cleanup process.
Decades of aircraft maintenance, firefighting exercises, munitions work, and research left behind hazardous waste disposed in landfills and dry wells across the base. Contaminants include volatile organic compounds (VOCs) such as trichloroethene and benzene, per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), heavy metals like arsenic and lead, pesticides including DDT and chlordane, and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. These contaminants appear in groundwater, soil, sediment, surface water, and soil gas. Groundwater contamination was discovered in private wells in the nearby Town of Floyd in the late 1980s. The Air Force provided bottled water to affected residents and funded an extension of the municipal water supply, which eliminated drinking water exposure in that area.
The Air Force has operated groundwater extraction and treatment systems on base since the early 1990s. Landfills have been capped, and cleanup decisions have been issued for 39 areas. Many operable units have completed remedial action and entered long-term operation and maintenance phases. PFAS investigations began in 2015 after firefighting foam used since 1970 was identified as a source. PFAS was found in soil, groundwater, surface water, and sediment. A 2017 foam spill reached Six Mile Creek, and fish sampling there has been conducted since 2018 to determine if a fish advisory is needed. The PFAS operable unit has a combined remedial investigation and feasibility study estimated to begin between December 2027 and February 2028.
The most recent five-year review was completed on September 3, 2025. The EPA issued a "protectiveness deferred" determination because it did not receive a draft report from the Air Force in time for review. The Air Force is expected to submit the draft report by December 31, 2025, after which the EPA will issue an updated protectiveness determination. Under current conditions, human exposures are under control because approximately 95 percent of the local population uses the municipal water supply. Land use controls in property deeds restrict activities such as installing drinking water wells and certain soil disturbance.
Community members can get involved through the Restoration Advisory Board (RAB), which includes representatives from the Air Force, EPA, state agencies, local government, and the public. The RAB meets at least annually and all meetings are open to the public and advertised in local newspapers. Anyone interested in joining can contact the Air Force. The public may also comment during proposed cleanup plans and five-year review periods. Documents are available through the EPA Superfund database and the Air Force Administrative Records online at ar.cce.af.mil.
